Pitter-Pat
by LoveTiva
Summary: How far does revenge have to go for two people to admit that they love each other? An alternate ending on the episode Revenge (10x22).
1. Hide and Seek

_I have a few ideas how I want this story to play out. If you want me to continue of course. If I do continue I honestly don't know how long this story could be. It could be a few chapters or a lot of chapters. I'm still playing with how I want this story to go. I just needed a starting point and here it is. This takes place during the Revenge episode, but it has a different twist on it. Also, sorry about spelling errors I'm still working on grammar. Well I'll let you read...so enjoy! _

* * *

He took the steps two at a time. He didn't care about the fire or the fact that she had probably started it. All he cared about was finding her. The three men had to find her because she was a part of their family. When your family was in trouble you helped. There was no question about that. It was that simple. Well right now things were very…well…_complicated._

_But how could she have been so stupid?_

She had gone off without telling anyone. More importantly she had gone off alone. _Without him, _he thought_._ He would gladly have come just to kill that bastard with her. That same bastard that had stolen the spark from her eyes not too long ago. These days they always seemed so dark and distant. He never knew how she was feeling and that really irritated him. They all knew she was intent on getting revenge. _Exactly how far was she willing to go just to get it?_

_Hell he was stupid for not making sure she came upstairs with them._ She had said she would be right up, but once they went downstairs she was gone. She had taken her keys and left. The three men had left in a hurry, knowing exactly where she went.

Sometimes he felt really stupid. _Way to go, DiNozzo. _

When he saw her Mini a part of him was overjoyed to know that they had found her. Well they had at least found her car. Now they just needed to find her. Once out of the car the three men ran for the boat. They were covering every inch of the boat, hoping to find her.

The three men had scoured the boat for her, pointing their guns everywhere they looked. So far they had come up empty-handed.

Now he was getting worried. She had yet to show up.

_Where the hell could she be?_

Then there was a noise above them. It sounded like a thud. Gibbs pointed upwards, waiting to hear the sound again. They kept quiet for a few seconds. Tony held his breath, waiting for the sound, knowing fully well it was probably Ziva.

It came a second time. Gibbs nodded upwards and the three men took off for the stairs.

They had finally found her. Hopefully they would get there in time to save her.

* * *

She felt like she was dying, _literally._

She was taken aback by the wrapping of the cool metal around her neck. Her assailant tightened his grip, constricting her airway. The black spots had gradually started to creep their way into the edges of her vision. She gasped for air, trying to pull the chain away from her throat.

She pulled and tugged at the metal, but it was of no use. He was stronger than her. She felt like a weakling in this moment. She couldn't even fight back. His death-like grip was pulling her to the brink of death. She fought as hard as her strength would take her. He could see she was trying to put up a fight. He pulled harder on the chain, piercing it deeper into her neck.

She just needed to _breathe. _Fill her lungs with the much-needed oxygen she was craving for. She could feel her vision closely turning black. Before she even knew what hit her, he spun her around to face him. He smirked at her, loosening his hold on the death metal chain.

She fell to the ground with a thud, gasping and choking for air. Each breathe was a fight to live. Her throat felt raw. Each inhale and exhale was painful just to perform. _How could breathing be so difficult?_

He quickly picked up the chain. In her weakened state she had no fight left in her. She was too tired to fight, feeling nothing but fragile and weak.

He bound her ankles and hands with the chain, preventing her from escaping. She was just extremely exhausted.

She looked into the piercing brown eyes that were staring intently back at her.

"Please," she hoarsely begged. "Don't do this!" She licked her chapped lips. _Was he really going to go this far to kill her?_

"Ziva, it's time to go." He picked her up. "This is how it has to end." With that he threw her into the Potomac River.

He watched as her body fell from the ship, landing with a splash into the water.

Now she was gone because he had just killed _Ziva David._

He smiled to himself, looking around for the nearest exit.

* * *

They arrived at the site where they had heard the loud thuds, looking around with their guns pointed.

"Nice to see you again." In the corner stood the bastard himself, Ilan Bodnar.

"Where is she?" Gibbs growled, pointing his gun at the man's face.

"Where is who?" Ilan smiled towards the men.

"You know _damn_ well who!" Gibbs stepped forward, challenging the man.

"Oh. Where are my manners? I assume you mean Ziva. Well…let's just say she had to go, _finally." _The man smiled, turning around to indicate the water.

"No." Tony whispered. He didn't even have a chance to think, before he dove off the edge of the boat.

He heard Gibbs scream his name, but he didn't care. All that mattered was finding _Ziva. _

The surface of the water broke his fall. He groaned at the pain shooting up his back. He pushed the pain aside in his mind and focused on the task at hand. _Finding Ziva. _The water was colder than he had expected. He took a lung full of air, before going under to find her.

He didn't care that he had probably ruined his watch and his new shoes. None of that mattered because the woman he loved. Yes_, loved…_was in trouble. He would for sure find _her. _He had no choice but to find _her._

* * *

She didn't even have a chance to fight. The cold water hit her like a ton of bricks. It was freezing, sending her mind into overdrive. She had a new wave of adrenaline because she knew what was happening.

_She was drowning, like actually dying._

She struggled against the chains that were bound to her. The water was slowly closing in on her, burning her lungs to a whole new extreme. She continued to struggle as the weight of the chains dragged her down towards the bottom. The water it seemed was trying to claim her as its next victim.

She looked up towards the surface. The light was going farther away, she was almost to the point of utter and complete darkness.

She prayed, hoping that he would find her. He was always her knight in shining armor. If anyone could find her it was _Tony._

With one last struggle all of her fight was gone. Her mind was turning foggy and she couldn't breathe. Her lungs were burning as if on fire. She took one last breathe, water filling her lungs. The light at the surface slowly faded away as her body dragged downwards…everything in her world went _black._

He would find her…_hopefully._

* * *

Each time his dives got further. He wasn't giving up. He broke back through the surface of the water, filling his lungs with as much air as he could get.

This was his third time back at the surface. He didn't know how far she was or where she was. He wasn't going to give up. He would die trying to find her. _If he had to. _

With that he went back under, swimming as far as his aching body would go. It was darker with each stroke he took. He could barely make out anything under the water. It was eerily quiet and to be honest that scared him. He just had to find _her._

His thoughts were interrupted by the collision with the solid object in front of him. His mind didn't even have time to register what was happening. He just wrapped his arms around her torso, kicking with all his might to the surface above. Each stroke was painful for him. He could feel the weight dragging her slender body downwards.

With a few more strokes he reached the surface and gasped, filling his lungs with air.

He looked at her as her head fell onto his shoulder. He could see she was bound with chains. Her skin had started to show a hint of a bluish color. She was freezing and showed no signs of actually being alive.

"Ziva," he whispered, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. Now was not the time to give up. It was time to fight, like they always had done the last eight years.

He just couldn't believe this was happening. This couldn't be happening to _her. _This couldn't be happening to _him, _let alone _them. _

He wanted that happy ending with her. He wanted to truly tell her how he felt. He wanted to tell her that he loved her. He needed that lifetime with her. _They _deserved it.

He wasn't going to let it be like in the movie _Casino Royale. _He wouldn't let her end up like Vesper Lynd and let her practically drown to death. He didn't want to be Bond, performing CPR on the women he loved, but to no avail she didn't come back.

She was going to come back because she always did. He wouldn't give up on her, let alone stop fighting for her.

He swam towards the dock, pushing her limp body onto the hard surface, before pulling himself up. He hurriedly unwove the chain from her limp body.

He felt for a pulse, but he knew he wouldn't find one. Just that time in the water was enough time for someone to drown.

He frantically started CPR, feeling her ribs crack with each compression.

"Please, don't do this." He put his mouth against hers, blowing air into her lungs. "I need you, Zi." He continued chest compressions. The sound of sirens in the background gave him hope. The hope that he needed that everything would turn out fine.

"They're coming, Ziva. Just hang in there." He continued to breathe for her because he wasn't a quitter. He would never quit on the woman he _loved._

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_Want me to continue? Reviews are wonderful. _


	2. Breathe

_Ah, so here it is the second chapter of this story. I want to thank everyone who gave feedback or simply is following this story. You guys are amazing! This chapter is more emotional for the characters than the last chapter. Well I'll let you get to it. Enjoy!_

* * *

The sounds of the oncoming sirens in the distance, reminded him that this was reality. _His reality._ This wasn't some crazy dream he would wake up from at any moment.

_Hell, he would give anything for this to all be a dream, but the lifeless form under him proved that this wasn't anywhere close to a dream. _

The sirens were getting closer. He could see the faint shadows of the bright red and blue lights in the distance.

"They're almost here. They're almost here." He was chanting it more to himself, than to her. They were almost here and then she would be fine. _Everything would be fine._ He was praying in the back of his mind that she was still here with him in this mess. That he wasn't doing all of this just to hang onto a corpse.

He continued on with the chest compressions, counting to thirty each time.

_1, 2, 3, 4, 5…he repeated each number in his head, careful not to skip a beat._

His eyes were starting to get blurry from the unshed tears in his eyes. He wouldn't let them fall because he had to be strong for her. This was her best chance at living because in this moment he was her _lifeline. _

He once heard Ducky use the phrase "hanging on by a thread." He thought at this moment it really applied to her. Her life was hanging on by a threat…a very thin thread. At all costs he was determined not to let her thread break. If her thread broke…his was going to break with hers.

"Please, please don't do this," he whispered. "You're not allowed to die! Do you hear me? You don't have my permission to die! I _need _you. So you can't give up, not now." This fight for her life was defeating him because he felt like he was losing badly.

_1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13…he repeated._

"Ziver! DiNozzo! Where are you?" He heard Gibbs' voice echo from behind.

He didn't stop what he was doing. He didn't care if his boss saw him crack under the pressure. He had to keep fighting for her life. He continued to count to thirty, before pressing his lips against her clammy ones.

"Ziver! DiNozzo!" Gibbs' voice was getting closer.

He could feel the burning stare of the concerned blue eyes of the man he always thought to be his father figure in a way.

"DiNozzo…" Gibbs whispered, looking at Ziva's limp body next to his agent. Tony looked like he was going to fall apart at any moment. He didn't want to show Tony that this scared the hell out of him. Just looking at Ziva motionless was enough to send him over the edge. He had to be the strong one because the man in front of him was falling apart and he couldn't afford to either.

"She hasn't responded at all. She's not responding to me. She's not breathing… I need her to breathe, Gibbs. I just need her to start breathing. I don't…I don't know how long I've been trying to _breathe _for her. I just need her to breathe…just breathe, _please_," his voice cracked. "Just breathe! Please, please I just need you to starting breathing Ziva."

"The ambulance is almost here, Tony." He replied in a calming voice.

"Please, please just get help. It needs to be here now! She isn't going to make it. She needs it now," he begged, continuing CPR.

"There they are!" With that Gibbs ran from Tony's sight, towards the bright, flashing lights in the distance.

"Help is coming, Zi. You just have to hang on, hang on for me. It's just a little bit longer." He looked at her closed eyes, continuing to press his lips against hers. In spite of the exhaustion creeping in, he fought for her.

It wasn't long before Gibbs had come back with help. The paramedics looked at the scene unfolding before them.

Tony's compressions got stronger, but now it was time to let go. He needed to let her go so she could get the help that she needed from the medics. If he would have been enough help, she would already have been awake. Her dark brown eyes staring back at him, telling him that was all just a bad dream.

"Tony… You have to let her go. They need to do their jobs. You've done all you can do right now for her." He rested his hand on Tony's shoulder.

"You don't understand I can't…" He looked upwards at the paramedics. Their faces all held the same expression, _sadness._

"Okay, Tony. May I call you that?" The female paramedic looked down at him.

He simply nodded, not giving up on compressions.

"Good," she nodded. "Erin here is going to take over compressions for you." She indicated the older woman standing next to her.

"I can't stop. I have to help her," he whispered, tears slowly falling down his cheeks. "I have to help her…because I _love_ her!" He didn't care if he just admitted to Gibbs that he loved her. He would scream it to the whole world if he had to. He was madly in love with _Ziva David. _He didn't care who knew anymore because it wasn't a secret. He had always loved her.

The female paramedic bent down next to him. "You have to let us take over, Tony."

"But I…"

"This is her only chance to live. She needs help and she can't get the kind of help she needs on this dock. Okay?"

The paramedic was right. There was nothing more he could do for her. He had done all he could do for her right now. It was time to let others help her because he wasn't getting anywhere with her.

"Okay," he whispered. He stopped the compressions and the female paramedic quickly took over compressions.

He felt like a failure because he couldn't even do enough to bring her back.

It was like Somalia all over again. He didn't do enough for her then. He had let her stay in Israel and that ended up getting her killed…so he thought. He went there with only death in his heart to get revenge on the man who had practically killed her. When Saleem took that bag off the unknown figure's head, he practically stopped breathing. She was _alive,_ she was sitting right there in front of him. She was talking and breathing. Sure she was a different person, but still she was alive. All that time he had thought she was _dead. _She was alive and he wasn't going to let her go. Not this time.

He watched as the paramedics carefully maneuvered her limp body onto the gurney. They spit some medical information around, before bagging her, causing the bag to breathe for her now.

"Okay, let's move!" The paramedics wheeled the gurney to the awaiting ambulance.

"Where are you taking her?" Gibbs shouted to the female paramedic.

"We're taking her to Bethesda Naval Hospital." The paramedic shouted, before closing the doors. The ambulance sped off, sirens blaring.

Gibbs turned around, seeing Tony stare off into the distance as the speeding ambulance got farther away into the distance.

"DiNozzo?" Gibbs questioned. "Are you coming?"

"Let's go!" They both made their way to the car. Gibbs put it in drive, before speeding off into the direction the ambulance had gone only a few moments earlier.

"Gibbs?" Tony whispered.

"Hm…?" Gibbs questioned, swerving in between the cars on the highway.

"I failed her," he whispered. His heart was shattering into a million pieces, nothing could fix this.

Gibbs swerved the car to the side of the road, putting it into park. "Hey! You do not get to say that. You did not fail her! You could never fail her. So don't ever think that for a moment." His tone became softer. "If it weren't for you she could still be at the bottom of that river. She could be dead."

"She is dead! She's been dead since I pulled her out! Don't you see? This is my fault! It took me three times to find her. _Three_! All I did was CPR and it got her nowhere…" His voice broke with each word that came out of his mouth.

"You gave her a chance, DiNozzo. You gave her a _second _chance. So don't think for a moment that you failed her. You _saved _her. You don't know if she is dead."

"She is! She was so blue and cold. She wasn't breathing or responding at all. I felt for a pulse and I got nothing! Nothing, not even one damn beat." He put his face in his hands.

"She has hypothermia. I've seen people come back from this, meaning I'm not giving up on her and neither should you. _You're her partner._ You don't have the right to give up on her, not yet." The man looked at the younger agent. This was a member of their family in a crisis. "Don't give up yet, DiNozzo. She wouldn't want you to give up on her." Gibbs hated what he was about to say, but it needed to be said. "If the roles were reversed she wouldn't give up on you either."

"What if she doesn't come back?" More unshed tears fell from his eyes. "What if she…_dies?"_

"Until someone tells me that she is clinically dead I'm not giving up. You're not giving up on her."

"But…"

"No, we are going to go to the hospital. She is going to wake up and when she does she's going to need you." Gibbs put the car into drive and continued the drive to the hospital. He looked at the man sitting beside him. In the back of his mind he was praying that this would all be okay. That Ziva would come back because in spite of all the bad things that have happened to her in her life, she always came back.

If she didn't come back from this, he knew the man beside him wouldn't be the same man he is now. He didn't know if anyone would be the same if Ziva didn't come back. She needed to come back because she was a part of their family. She didn't have his permission to die.

_Please, please Ziva you have to come back. Not just for me, but for Tony._

He looked at Tony out of the corner of his eyes and saw the tears slowly fall from the man's face.

_She was going to come back or they were all going down with her._

* * *

_I hope to have the next chapter up by the end of this week at the lastest. Feedback is appreciated. Thanks for reading!_


	3. Broken

_I want to thank everyone who took the time to review or is following this story. You guys are amazing for that! Honestly, I don't know how to really describe this chapter. I would say it is a mushy chapter in some ways. It is longer than the other two chapters, but you will see why when you read it. Regardless I hope you still enjoy it!_

* * *

The Dodge Charger came to an abrupt stop in front of the hospital, both men exiting the vehicle. They made their way through the double glass sliding doors, before heading towards the front desk.

A younger woman with light blue scrubs sat at the desk. Both men proceeded to the front desk. The younger nurse didn't even acknowledge the men, but continued to stare at the computer screen in front of her. "May I help you?" She asked without looking up.

"Ziva David." Gibbs asked, showing his badge to the woman.

"Excuse me?" She finally took her eyes away from the screen to look up at the men.

"A woman named Ziva David was just brought in. Can you tell me where she is?" Gibbs asked in an annoyed tone.

"Oh! Yes, let me check." She shuffled around some papers, pulling out a chart. She scanned over the contents, before putting it back down. "She is currently in trauma. You are invited to wait in the waiting room." She pointed towards the waiting room. "Until a doctor can come speak with you," she huffed, looking back at the computer.

"We aren't going to wait!" Gibbs dragged Tony towards the trauma doors without another word.

"Security!" The woman behind the desk yelled. Within seconds two security guards appeared at the entrance to the trauma center.

"Do we have a problem here?" One of the scrawnier guards asked.

"No." Gibbs scowled.

"Officers these men were trying to get through." The younger nurse replied with her hands on her hips. "They do not have the clearance to go into trauma."

"I'm sorry but we are going to have to ask you to sit in the waiting area."

"No… We aren't waiting for the damn doctor to come out!" He tried to get pass the guards, but they stopped him.

"Sir, you don't have a choice. You can either wait in the waiting area or we will detain you."

"That's not going to…"

"Gibbs." Tony whispered. "Let's just wait in the waiting room. We can't do anything, but wait for the doctor." He turned around and walked towards the waiting area, slumping in the first chair available.

"That doctor better be here soon!" Gibbs growled, following in Tony's pursuit to the waiting area.

"Watch those two, especially him." The nurse nodded in Gibbs' direction.

Both men nodded, standing near the trauma doors just in case the men tried to pull something. The nurse walked back to her desk, going back to stare at the computer screen.

"There's nothing we can do Gibbs. It's the waiting game now." He looked towards the trauma doors, hoping that at any moment the doctor would come through those doors.

"I know," Gibbs sighed. "I just hate waiting, especially since it is one of our _own."_

"I know how impatient you can be." Tony smiled at the thought. Gibbs was always an impatient man, but Tony respected him for that. _How could someone be patient when one of their own was in trauma?_

_Trauma._

_She was in trauma. Ziva David was in trauma._

If at all he would expect her to put someone in trauma, seeing as she had crazy ninja skills. _Who knew what was going on in there? _If at all he was thankful that she was in trauma. It was better than being in another part of the hospital. _The morgue, he thought._ Being in trauma gave him hope, meaning that she was _still_ fighting for her life. At all costs she wasn't giving up and neither was he. He just had to have faith that the doctors knew what they were doing. That she would come back to _him. _

_How the hell could this have happened?_ Well…he knew how this happened. He was there when it happened. He just didn't know how much more he could take before breaking. This day had gone from bad to worse. It was definitely on his top ten worst days of his life list. A list he always wanted to avoid.

He had just talked to her not too long ago. His mind flashed back to their conversation this morning.

* * *

_He knew that she was hurting herself, not just mentally, but physically. He saw the bruises on her knuckles. He wasn't an idiot! He knew she was up to something. When he had asked her about the bruising, she had shut him out quickly. Careful to keep those walls built up around herself. He didn't get time to pry her for more answers, before Gibbs had showed up with a cup of coffee. Well now was his chance. He just had to find her. He had looked everywhere for her, except the bathroom. He peaked into the women's bathroom and found her at the sink, washing her hands._

"_There you are, Zee-vah," he emphasized her name. He entered the bathroom, locking the door behind him._

"_What do you want?" She asked looking at his reflection in the mirror._

"_Oh…nothing in particular," he replied, walking closer to her._

"_Then get out," she replied coldly, continuing to wash her hands._

"_See I can't do that," he looked straight at her._

"_Why, why can't you just leave? You always have to know everyone's business. Why can't you just stay out of it?" She hissed._

"_Because…" He stepped closer to her._

"_Because why?" She questioned, oblivious as to where he was going with this conversation._

"_Because of this..." He took her wrist and brushed his fingertips over her bruised knuckles. They seemed to have gotten worse. Earlier they were purple and now they were taking on a blackish tint. _

"_Just stop!" She tried to pull her hand away from his grasp._

_He let go of her hand. "Where did you get those?" He indicated her knuckles with a nod of his head. _

"_It's none of your business!" She snapped at him._

"_It is my business," he challenged. "I'm your partner."_

"_Do you really have to know where I got these bruises?" She showed him the bruises on both knuckles._

"_Yes, I need to know," he stated matter-of-factly._

"_Why?"_

"_Because… I just need to know. Okay?"_

"_Fine," she huffed. "I started going to the gym again. I started punching the punching bag. It's how I'm coping with everything right now."_

"_You're hurting yourself," he replied gently._

"_It doesn't hurt. I can barely feel it that much anymore." She looked at him._

"_I don't want you hurting yourself, Zi."_

"_I'm not hurting myself…" Her voice drifted off._

"_Yes, you are. You're not just hurting mentally, but physically as well. I know things have been tough since your dad died, but you need to let me in. I can help." He brushed her cheek with his fingers._

_For a moment he saw her lean into his touch, but just as quickly that look was gone._

"_I can help you, Ziva. You just have to let me in. You need to let it out and just talk."_

"_I can't talk."_

"_Why not? You can trust me. You can always trust me."_

"_I just don't want to talk about it, Tony." _

"_You never want to talk about it. You walk around like a basket case half the time and I never know how you feel. All I'm asking is for you to let me in."_

"_No!" She walked towards the door._

"_Don't go, Ziva." He captured her wrist, preventing her from leaving._

"_Tony, please just stop," she begged him. "Don't do this not now."_

"_Why can't you just let me in?" He let go of her wrist._

"_Because anytime I let anyone in they always end up getting hurt. I don't want you to get hurt. If you did I don't think I would be able to forgive myself."_

"_I can take that chance."_

"_Well I'm not willing to take that chance." She walked to the door, opening it slowly._

"_Ziva," he whispered. "Don't do this. Let me in. Let me help," he begged. _

"_I can't do this right now. I'm sorry, Tony. I just can't do this right now."_

"_Then when?" He questioned._

"_Maybe…maybe once this is all over." The door swung on its hinges and she exited the bathroom._

_She left him standing alone in the bathroom, wondering if they would ever have the chance to finish this conversation._

* * *

_What if that was one of the last conversations he would ever have with her? What if he would never hear her voice again? What if she never woke up? What if he never told her how he felt? Worst of all what if she died?_

_Seriously? You are not playing this game, DiNozzo. You can't be playing that what if game. You can't question every single piece of information that comes to your mind. You just need to focus on Ziva. Just focus on Ziva._

_She's alive. She's alive. She's alive._

His thoughts were interrupted by Gibbs talking.

"What?" He asked, looking at the man sitting beside him.

"I was asking if you wanted any coffee while we wait."

"Sure."

"Okay, I will be right back." Gibbs walked towards the cafeteria.

Tony was left back with his own thoughts. He wasn't paying much attention to anything, until someone called his name. _Abby._

"Tony!" She called again, before running over to hug him.

He stood up to meet her embrace. "Abby," he sighed.

"How is she? Have you heard anything? Have you seen her?" She asked anxiously.

"Slow down, Abby."

"Sorry, but have you heard anything?"

He shook his head. "No, I haven't heard anything yet."

"Oh, Tony." Tears started to stream down her face.

"She'll be okay." He hugged her, before they both sat down. "How did you know I was here?" He questioned.

"McGee," she stated simply.

"Ah, McGoo. Where is he?"

"Last I talked to him he was still at NCIS." She fidgeted with her hands. "She won't die right?"

"Right," he replied. "She's a fighter. She won't die."

"Okay." Abby was content with his answer for now.

They were silent for a few moments. The hustle and bustle of the ER was oddly quiet this time of night.

"Can I ask you something personal, Tony?"

"Anything."

"You love her. You've always loved her."

"Is it that obvious?"

"Very. It's been obvious for a long time," she smiled. "You should tell her how you feel."

"But what if she doesn't feel the same way?" He questioned.

"You won't know unless you don't try. I find it very surprising..."

"What's surprising about it?" He looked at her confused.

"That you haven't told her. You've been partners for eight years. I've seen the way you look at her. Why not tell her how you feel?"

"It's not that simple."

"You can make it simple. It doesn't have to be so complicated."

He was processing what Abby was telling him. It was so much easier to talk to other people about the ones you loved. _Why was it so hard for him to tell her how he felt?_

"_You should tell her how you feel. Whoever she is." His ex-fiancé's words played over in his head. _

His ex-fiancé could tell he was in love with someone else. He had been in love with Ziva…_forever. _It seemed like everyone else knew he had feelings for her. Even Abby could see that he was in love with her. It just seemed like the only person who didn't know was Ziva. He had no doubt that Ziva was a smart and beautiful woman. But when it came to Tony's feelings for her, she was oblivious. He just wished she knew how he felt, but she never hinted that she knew. He had dropped hints over the last few years, but she never picked them up.

"_Couldn't live without you, I guess."_

"_Nora was right. I found my favorite picture, and it's the only one with someone in it."_

"_I'm talking about the new us here, Ziva, you know, the post elevator us, the open book, baring our souls. Telling each other all kinds of personal stuff."_

"_Tell me. What can I do? What do you need?"_

"_Then I should catch her before she leaves. You know. And thank her."_

At this point he just really needed to tell her how he felt. _Rip off the bandage. _He just needed the chance to tell her.

_Please, please give me the chance to tell her how I really feel about her._

"Tell me why you love her."

"Hm…?" He looked back at Abby.

"Why do you love her?"

"Why do I love her?" He asked. "I just love her because she's different. We are practically opposites, but we go together so well. For instance, she doesn't watch many movies. I make crazy movie references all the time and she doesn't get them. Instead, she would rather read a good book. She doesn't like Thai food for some odd reason. I happen to love Thai food myself, but I'm sure I could make her love it. She makes a lot of idiomatic mistakes and mispronunciations. She's just slowly figuring out the ways of America. She can use them pretty well…most of the time, but I do have to correct her a lot. My favorite one is probably the one where she threatened me with a paperclip," he laughed.

"_I will kill you 18 different ways with this paperclip!" She held up the paperclip from his desk._

"Regardless of all her flaws she is still one of the strongest women I know. She is beautiful and perfect in every way possible. I love her for who she is and I wouldn't want it any other way. You can't choose the one you fall in love with. It just happens. I can't help it that along the way of us being partners for so long…_I feel in love with her_."

"Now you just have to tell her everything you just told me," she smiled. "If you can tell me all of this. I believe you can tell her. Just go out on a whim and tell her."

"I might have to try," he replied.

"You can," she smiled, looking around. "Do you think they have some Caf Pow around her?"

"Really, Abs." He laughed.

"Yes! Which way to the cafeteria?" She got off the seat.

"That way." He pointed towards the cafeteria exit.

"I'll be back." The gothic was gone from his sight, leaving him alone.

A few minutes later Gibbs returned to the waiting area with two coffees in hand.

"You see Abby was here?"

"Yeah." Gibbs nodded. "I called McGee to bring her some Caf Pow. She's sitting in the cafeteria talking to some nurses." He handed Tony the hot beverage, before sitting down next to him. "I also brought you this." He reached into his pocket, pulling out a snack.

"Nutter Butter?" Tony questioned.

Gibbs shrugged. "I see McGee eating them all the time. I figured you could use one."

"Thanks, boss." He peeled back the wrapper and took a bite of the snack.

Both men sat in silence, their eyes glued to the trauma doors. Tony continued to munch on the peanut buttery snack.

"How have you been holding up?" Gibbs took a sip of his black coffee.

"I guess as good as I can," he sighed, cradling the wrapper in his hands.

_Where the hell is the doctor? We haven't heard any word on her condition. It's been too long._

"There he is." Gibbs replied as if reading Tony's thoughts.

Tony turned his head, staring as a doctor walked through the double doors.

"Is there a family for Ms. David?' The doctor questioned, looking around the waiting area.

"Over here." Gibbs stood up.

The doctor saw the two men and headed in their direction. Tony saw that he looked haggard. What scared him the most was when he saw the doctor's face. He had a grave expression in his features.

_Oh, this couldn't be good. This couldn't be good at all._

* * *

_I know I left it at a cliffhanger in a way. Forgive me! I hope you enjoyed the chapter though. If you could take the time to review that would be awesome! The next chapter should be up on Wednesday. Thanks for reading!_


	4. Hanging On

_I want to thank everyone who is involved with this story. Adding it as a favorite, following it or reviewing it is simply wonderful. You guys are awesome for that! Here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it. I'll let you get to it and read. Enjoy!_

* * *

Dr. Greyson walked through the double doors, along with the two men trailing closely behind. When Dr. Greyson had approached them, they both immediately asked about Ziva. He simply stated that they should talk in a room. Now they were following Dr. Greyson down a long corridor to other rooms. He went to the farthest door on the left, opening it for the two men.

The room was of course white, like the rest of the hospital. In the middle was a small table with four chairs at each angle of the table. Otherwise the room didn't have much else, besides a small table with a coffee machine and a box of Kleenexes.

_This must be the room where they break the bad news about your loved one. Maybe this is why he couldn't tell them in the waiting area. What if Ziva was already dead? That's why he was taking them to this room because Ziva was gone._

He felt like he couldn't breathe. The walls started to seem like they were closing in on him. _Was it getting hot in here or what?_

"You okay, DiNozzo?" Gibbs eyed him carefully. The man didn't look so good. His face had started to turn a pale color, looking as though at any moment he would be sick. "Here sit down." Gibbs pulled back the chair for him to sit in.

Tony gladly took a seat in the chair. "I don't feel so well," he groaned, putting his head in his hands.

"Can we get him some water, Doctor?" Gibbs looked up at Dr. Greyson.

"Yes, I will be right back." Dr. Greyson left, closing the door behind him.

"What's wrong?" Gibbs sat down in the chair adjacent to him.

"What if she's dead?" He leaned his head on the table.

"You don't know if she is…"

"Why, why else would he take us to this room?" He questioned.

"To tell us how she is," Gibbs simply stated. "Now once Dr. Greyson comes back he will tell us her condition. Don't give up on her yet, Tony." Gibbs put a reassuring hand on Tony's shoulder.

Dr. Greyson returned a minute later with a cup of water. "Here you are." He handed Tony the water, sitting in the chair opposite from them.

"Thanks," he grumbled. He uncapped the water, taking a long sip to clear his nerves.

"You okay now?" Gibbs looked at Tony. Tony simply nodded, avoiding eye contact with Dr. Greyson. "Let's hear it, Doc."

Dr. Greyson opened the chart, before speaking. "Okay, Ms. David lists Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Anthony DiNozzo as her emergency contacts. That is you two correct?" Dr. Greyson looked across at the two men.

"Yes," Gibbs replied. "That is us."

"Okay, let's continue." He scanned her chart. "Ms. David was brought in with a severe case of hypothermia." He flipped a page in her chart. "Her initial temperature recorded in the ambulance was 81.3°F, before she was brought in to us."

"Is she alive?" Tony whispered. "Just get straight to the point. Is she alive?" He held his breath.

"Yes, she is alive. But…"

He breathed a sigh of relief. _Thank you. _"When can I see her?" He stood up, pushing the chair back. "Where is she? I need to see her." He walked to the door, turning the knob.

"Mr. DiNozzo, I need you to sit down." Dr. Greyson indicated the now vacant seat.

"Why can't I see her? What have you done with her? Where is she?" He raised his voice.

"You can see her once I tell you her condition. I can tell you that she is alive, but there is more."

"More," he replied. "What more can there be?"

"Sit, DiNozzo." Gibbs pointed to the seat next to him. "Let him finish and then we can go see Ziver."

"Okay." Tony took his seat at the table.

"Go on." Gibbs nodded towards Dr. Greyson.

"We had to perform a CPB."

"What is a CPB?" Gibbs asked confused.

"CPB stands for Cardiopulmonary Bypass. It is often used in extreme measures where the patient is severely hypothermic to warm the body, as seen in Ms. David's case. It's a technique that temporarily takes over the function of the heart and lungs, maintaining the circulation of blood and the oxygen content of the body. Once her temperature was up it took a few tries, but we were successful in reviving her."

_That's good her heart is beating._

If there was one thing he knew about Ziva David it was that she was a fighter. In the choice of life or death it was clear that death was not an option. She fought hard for her life and ultimately she had won it back. She was of course the crazy ninja ex-Mossad agent. _If anyone could fight this it could be her._

"Upon reviving her there were a few complications."

"A few complications," Tony replied. "What kind of complications?"

"We took Ms. David for a few scans, including a CT scan. We noticed that her brain showed significant signs of severe swelling. It was caused by the trauma the brain went through not getting enough oxygen while submerged underwater."

"Severe swelling. She's going to be okay, right?" Tony questioned.

"That's the hopeful outcome." Dr. Greyson flipped a page in her chart before continuing. "We gave her a drug to put her into an induced coma."

"What?" Tony whispered, before slamming his hands on the table. "You put her in a coma? Why would you do that?"

"Mr. DiNozzo." Dr. Greyson replied calmly. "We medically decided it was best to put her in a coma until the swelling is relieved in her brain. There have been studies used for this technique. For instance, there was a little boy who was put into an induced coma after drowning. He didn't show any signs of brain damage after coming out of the coma. We thought it was her best chance."

"How long is she going to have to be in the induced coma?"

_She was in a coma. They had put her in a coma. There was no other option. The coma was her only chance at living. Hadn't she already gone through enough? How much more could she possibly take before she slipped away for good?_

He felt like his mind was spinning, but he had to focus on the positives. _She was alive._ Her heart was beating, meaning she was alive. He could imagine counting the beats of the vital organ that was currently keeping her alive. It wasn't as bad as compared to the silence he had felt when he performed chest compressions. _Her heart was beating._

"That's what we don't know. It could be days or even weeks. We will have to monitor her closely and watch the swelling in her brain. Once it goes down we can wake her up from the coma. That is one of the complications." Dr. Greyson flipped another page in her chart.

_How many pages could one chart possibly have?_

"There was one more complication. We had to put Ms. David on a ventilator."

"She's not breathing properly?" Tony felt like someone just punched him the gut. The tears had started to creep into the sides of his vision. _It's just bad news after bad news._

"She is breathing, but she isn't doing it properly. It's a good sign that she is even breathing at all. The ventilator is just a precaution. Hopefully in a few days she will start to breathe properly and we will try to wean her off of it. Her condition has improved significantly since she was brought in."

"What's the worst case scenario?" Gibbs finally asked a question. There was Gibbs who always wanted to be direct.

"The worst case scenario in her case would be death ultimately, but we feel she has a good chance for a good outcome. Other factors could be she doesn't breathe on her own without the ventilator. There could be severe brain damage from the lack of oxygen. There are worse case scenarios. For now we should take it one day at a time and focus on the positives."

"Okay." Gibbs sighed. This was going to be one hell of a roller-coaster, not just for Ziver, but for the team as well. Ziva still had the possibility of losing her life. They had to focus on the positives and hope that in the end Ziva would get through this. _She simply had too. He was not giving her permission to die._

"When can we see her?" Tony asked hopeful.

Dr. Greyson closed the chart, pushing his chair back. "Give me a few minutes to make sure she has been transferred to her room. I will then come back to take you to her." He opened the door, leaving the two men alone in the room.

"She's alive, DiNozzo." Gibbs turned to look at the man. "She's alive."

"I know," he sighed. "It's just this still isn't over for her. It feels like it's never going to be over."

"Her heart is beating," Gibbs stated matter-of-factly.

"But she's still not breathing properly and we don't even know if she has brain damage."

"We just need to focus on the positives, Tony."

"What if she doesn't come back? What if she doesn't come back as the Ziva we know?"

_What if you never get to tell her how you really feel? _

"This isn't going to be easy. We're just going to have to take this day-by-day, okay?"

"Okay," Tony whispered.

Dr. Greyson returned a few minutes later, taking the two men to see Ziva. It was eerily quiet in the elevator as they ascended in the elevator towards the third floor. The ding of the elevator brought them back to reality. They followed Dr. Greyson down the hall to her room.

"Ready?" Dr. Greyson asked with his hand on the handle.

Both men simply nodded.

Dr. Greyson turned the handle, opening the door, both men stepped inside.

"If you men need anything have the nurse at the desk page me." He closed the door, leaving the men alone in the dimly lit room.

Gibbs looked at the man beside him, deciding it was best to let him have some alone time with Ziva. "I'll be back soon."

Tony nodded, not taking his eyes off the form in the bed.

Gibbs left the room, leaving Tony alone with the beeping of the surrounding machines.

He held his breath as he pulled up a chair besides her bed, watching her chest rise and fall for a few moments. If there was ever a time he thought he saw her look weak it would probably be right now. She looked so frail in the oversized hospital bed, her hair sticking out at odd angles on the pillow. He continued to watch her chest rise and fall, afraid that at any moment she would stop.

_But she couldn't._

The ventilator on her right was breathing momentarily for her. He looked at the odd machine, along with the other machines. He mainly focused on the steady beeping of her heart on the monitor.

He touched her hand with his fingertips. _She was warm._ It wasn't the coldness he had felt when he pulled her out of the Potomac River.

He gently took her hand in his, rubbing her palm between his thumb and index finger. He squeezed her hand lightly, but she didn't respond to his touch. The heart machine kept the same steady rhythm of her heartbeat.

"Hang on. Please, please just keep hanging on, Zi." He squeezed her hand tighter. He continued to watch the rise and fall of her chest, hearing the rhythmic beeping of her heart in the background.

_She's hanging on._

She technically had been clinically dead. Sure it was only for a few moments. But in those few moments he stopped living too. He had to breathe for her, being the provider for the oxygen that she so desperately needed. In those few moments Ziva David was actually dead to the world. Her heart stopped beating, her brain wasn't getting oxygen, and everything just shut down in her body. By far it was a miracle they got her back, that he got another chance with her. _He wouldn't know how to live in a world without Ziva David_.

* * *

_I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Next chapter should be up on Saturday or Sunday. _


	5. Sweet Dreams

_I hope none of you hate me. I'm sorry it took so long for me to update. Things just have been overwhelming the past few weeks, but I'm back! There should be weekily updates from here on out. Thanks for sticking with me, regardless of my lack of updates. I'll let you get to it and read. Enjoy!_

* * *

_One hour._

It had been a little over an hour since he was able to see her for the first time since the accident. Her condition hadn't improved much, but that wasn't much of a surprise. The doctor had warned him of the risks. The possibility she might have brain damage, she may not regain consciousness, and a whole laundry list of other risks. He just hoped that she would prove them all wrong, she always did. He always felt that one way or another she always knew how to surprise people, including him.

He continued to shift around in the uncomfortable hospital chair, intensively staring at the woman in front of him.

_You would think they would have more comfortable chairs in this hospital._

He was completely captivated by the figure lying in the hospital bed. She seemed to be stable for the moment. _At least that's what the monitors seemed to indicate. _It was no doubt a _miracle,_ but he wanted her to wake up. He wanted to see her brown eyes, but instead all he saw were her closed eyelids.

In a way she looked like she was sleeping, except she was hooked up to multiple machines. The machines continued to beep, indicating that she was alive because of them. Without their help she would probably be _dead._

At the same time she was stronger than this. She didn't need those machines to keep her alive. She was the ex-Mossad ninja, fully knowing how to disarm a bomb or kill someone with a paperclip eighteen different ways.

_Just please wakeup, Ziva. You are stronger than this. _

He tightened his grip on her hand. He studied her hand long and hard. Her knuckle had started to turn a reddish color, showing the sign that bruising was slowing occurring. Bruising that was caused by the fight that could have potentially killed her. If he had not shown up when he did she probably wouldn't have made it. Her body would probably be floating at the bottom of the Potomac River. He shook the image from his mind.

_You are stronger than this._

The click of the door handle released him from his thoughts, opening to reveal the nurse.

_Two hours._

It was the early hours of the morning. Most employees had gone home for the night. It was well past visiting hours, but he had insisted upon staying. _They didn't have a choice because he wasn't going to leave. Not without a fight at least._ One of the nurses had brought him a cot, setting it in the corner. He didn't see a need for it because it wouldn't be used tonight. It wouldn't be used until he saw for sure that she was awake. He wanted to know that she was safe and out of harm's way.

_He felt utterly alone._

For this time of night it was surprising that the hospital wasn't busy. The commotion in the hall had died down. It seemed everything had been silent since he first entered her room. The only sound was the constant beeping of the machines around him.

_Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep._

He was slowly learning how to ignore the beeping, but it gave him a sense of peace. The nurse had asked him if he wanted the sound off. He declined because it helped him focus on the fact that she was alive. The nurse politely smiled, saying she would return to check up on him.

He checked the clock on the bedside table. The bright, red numbers read 3:13 PM.

_This wasn't going to be an easy night. _

Sleep was not an option, at least not tonight. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. Within the last few months he hadn't slept much at all for that matter. Ever since Eli died he was worried about Ziva. _He was always worried about her. _She seemed distant and that kept him up at night. For the longest time she was keeping things from him, until he finally confronted her about it. Although he found out McGee was working with her, he forgave her for it. It was then that he was able to help her. All those sleepless nights working together and now it all came crashing down on him. He was exhausted, but it was just another sleepless night for him.

He tiredly sighed, watching as her chest rose and fell with each pump of the ventilator.

_Three hours._

He yawned, feeling exhausted. His back was starting to protest at the position he had been in for the past few hours. He sat up straighter in the chair, easing some of the pain in his lower back. He wanted to get up and stretch, but he didn't want to let go of her hand. He wanted her to know that he was here. He would be here until she woke up. No matter how long it took. He wanted her to wake up this very moment, but it was obvious her body was far from ready.

The nurse had told him he could talk to her. The nurse didn't know if she could actually hear him, but she liked to think it was possible.

_Maybe it was possible. Well, it was worth a shot._

"I don't think I ever told you about the time I ended up in the hospital," he recalled the memory. "I had just turned seven and I received a football for my birthday. I remember because that was the last birthday my dad was really present for. After mom died he didn't really care for birthdays anymore. But anyway I had gotten a football from my neighbor T.J. We played football everywhere in the house. At that time I thought about being a professional football player, but that was before the accident," he laughed at the thought.

"Mom was furious that we kept playing football in the house so she made us go outside. Being seven of course it was always fun to break the rules. She was cleaning the dishes in the kitchen and there was a backdoor that connected to the garage. We snuck in and when she wasn't looking we went down to the basement. We thought we were so cool because we got by her without her knowing. In reality, she always knew when something was going on. It's like she always had mom radar or some kind of superpower," he paused, adjusting his grip on her hand.

"T.J. and I threw the football around for a little bit, until she found us. She yelled down the stairs, asking why we were in the house. We needed to be outside to play sports. I looked towards the stairs, completely oblivious to the football flying towards my face. I looked back at T.J. and that's when it hit me. I fell and hit the back of my head. Mom was really upset, but I had to go to the emergency room to get stitches. I got seven stitches to the back of my head and I've had that memory ever since. I know mom wasn't too thrilled with what happened, but she went kind of easy. I didn't get grounded, just a thorough lecture about keeping sports outside," he chuckled.

"Honestly, that was one of the best moments I ever had with her. Even if I got in trouble I knew she did it because she loved me. Everything after that just got so…_complicated. _I wish I got to spend more time with her, but I'm grateful to have at least got to know her," he smiled sadly. "She truly was an amazing mother and I wish I could have thanked her for it. She doesn't know how well she raised her son to be who he is today. I just hope one day I can truly tell her. It was just so hard because we were watching a movie one night and then the next thing I knew she was gone. I'm just lucky to have gotten her to call my mom," he smiled.

"I know that's some story, but I just want you to know I've never told anyone that story before. There is plenty more embarrassing stories to hear. Yes, Anthony DiNozzo has more embarrassing stories to share," he laughed, before becoming serious. "You need to wake up, Ziva. I have so much more to tell you," he squeezed her hand reassuringly.

_Four hours._

It had been four hours since he entered her hospital room. He still sat in the same uncomfortable chair by her bedside, waiting for her to awaken. His hand was starting to cramp from holding her hand for so long. He didn't dare let go, afraid that she would slip away if he did. He sighed, rubbing her palm lightly. He noticed how small her hands were. It was clear that his were much larger by the way his hand enveloped most of her hand.

He looked towards the big bay window. The gray cast of clouds gave away that today wasn't going to be a bright and sunny day. He noticed the faint drops cascading down the windows, indicating the rain was just beginning. A few seconds later, he could hear the faint pitter-patter of the droplets hitting the windowpane. He watched the trail of droplets, before they quickly disappeared downwards.

_Seems the world feels the same way I do today. _

Over the past few hours he hadn't spoken a word to anyone. The same nurse had come in to checkup on her, but it was always the same result.

_He had a hint of hope in his eyes when a nurse would enter her room._

"_She's stable." The nurse would always say, writing in her chart. She would be back to checkup on her soon and then she would leave. _

_He simply nodded and turned his attention back to Ziva._

It was always the same result and he was hoping soon that it would change. The first twenty-four hours where critical for her, seeing that she was on the brink of death. He just hoped that she would make it through those first twenty-four hours. It would be reassuring not just for everyone, but for him as well.

* * *

Gibbs looked at the clock behind the nurses' station. It was just a little over four hours since he last checked in on the pair. He sighed, looking through the window at the broken man sitting in the chair. His back was towards him, but he could tell he was a wreck. Gibbs didn't know how much more of this _his _team could handle.

"Jethro?" He heard a voice from behind.

"Ducky," he looked towards the older man. "I'm glad you came."

"As am I," Ducky nodded towards the door. "Is she in there?"

"Yes," Gibbs sighed. "DiNozzo has been the only one in there with her. I have been taking care of the SOB that did this to her," he growled.

"Bodnar," Ducky stated. "Where is he?"

"He is back at NCIS. I told McGee to put him in interrogation until I get back."

"When are you going back?" Ducky questioned.

"I don't know, Duck," Gibbs rubbed his face. "I want to be here when she wakes up, but I don't know when she will."

_She might not wake up at all._

"At the same time we still have a case to solve. I want to be in two places at once. Although, we both know that's not possible."

"I think we both know what you need to do, Jethro," Ducky patted his shoulder lightly. "You need to do what Ziva would want you to do. She would want you to take down Bodnar."

"I just can't leave them, Ducky. Look at him." Gibbs pointed at the door. Both men turned to look at the broken man through the glass window.

"I can stay here and make sure they are both okay. Meanwhile, you need to go get the bastard that did this to our dear Ziva."

"Okay – okay, Duck. Call if anything changes."

"I always do." The older man watched as Gibbs walked towards the elevator.

Ducky turned towards the door, gazing in the window. Tony still had not moved an inch since he last peeked in.

_Oh, Anthony._

* * *

_Five hours._

His eyelids were starting to feel heavy, exhaustion was closely setting in. He tiredly rubbed at his eyes.

_You can't fall asleep, DiNozzo. You want to be here when she wakes up._

"This would be a lot easier if you just woke up, Ziva." He stifled a yawn. "I always knew you were stubborn," he chuckled.

He sat silently for a few minutes, deep in thought. He was completely unaware that a figure had quietly crept into the room. The figure stood in the corner, observing the scene before her.

"Tony?" The figure whispered.

He quickly turned around to see Abby, tears slowly streaking down her face. "Abby," he breathed.

She stood a few feet away, afraid to disturb the silence of the room. "How – how is she?"

"She's still here," he smiled, despite the pain of the situation. _She was still alive._

"That's – that's good," she exhaled a breath she realized she hadn't been holding, avoiding eye contact with the figure in the bed. Tears continued to fall down her cheeks, wetting her thick skull sweater. The temperature seemed to have dropped upon entering the room. She pulled her sleeves down her arms. She finally laid eyes on her family member in the bed. She couldn't handle the thought that a member of her family was hurting. She didn't think this would be so hard, but in reality it was overwhelming.

Tony saw that the expression had changed quickly in Abby's face. She stood motionless, looking as though at any second she might break.

"Abby?" He questioned quietly. "Are you okay?"

"No." Her bottom lip quivered, more tears flowed from her eyes. "Can I…"

"Have a hug?" He finished the sentence for her.

"Yes," she cried.

Tony got up within seconds to hug her. He wrapped his arms around her as sobs wracked her body. He stayed like this for a few minutes, until her sobs turned into sniffles.

"Better?" He replied softly.

She nodded her head slowly, turning to look at the hospital bed.

Tony watched her carefully. "Did you want to sit next to her?"

"Yes," she inched closer to the bed. She studied her friend carefully. Her eyelids were closed and there was a tube taped to her mouth. She noticed the multiple machines hooked up to her friend. She gently placed her palm over Ziva's. "She's warm," she noted.

Tony pulled up a chair for Abby to sit in. "Here sit," he nodded towards the chair.

"Thanks," she replied, sitting in the chair.

He nodded and went back to his spot on the other side of Ziva. He sat down, taking her hand in his.

"How long is she going to be like this?" She nodded towards Ziva.

"I honestly have no idea. The doctor said it could be days or even weeks before she could get better. Her body just needs the time."

"But – but she will get better right?" Abby looked at him.

"That's what we are hoping for. She's made it this far. She's still alive, Abs," he smiled.

"I know. She still proves to be the strongest woman I know. In cases of life and death she still beats the odds."

"And she will every time," he smiled.

Abby smiled at him, both of them falling into a comfortable silence.

_Six hours._

For what seemed like the millionth time he yawned, his jaw cracking in the process.

"Tony, why don't you go to sleep? I can watch her."

"No, no it's fine. I'm not tired, see." He sat up straighter in his chair, groaning at the sudden pain in his lower back.

"Seriously, you are not getting any younger. You might as well sleep," she joked.

"Hey! I'm not that old," he defended himself.

"Your back states otherwise," she laughed.

"Mean." He stuck his tongue out at her.

"You love me anyway," she smiled.

"I guess I don't really have a choice. Do I?"

"No," she laughed.

They smiled at each other, both processing what had happened the last few hours. They sat in comfortable silence.

He yawned, tightening his grip on her hand. He shifted in the chair, laying his head next to her hip.

_I'll just close my eyes for a few minutes._

Abby watched as Tony got comfortable, falling asleep next to Ziva. She smiled as he snored softly. He was going to need all the sleep he could get. This was going to be hard not just for _him, _but for all of _them._

Abby just watched the scene before her for a few minutes, until the door quietly opened. She looked towards the door and saw that it was Ducky.

"Ducky," she smiled at the older man.

"Abigail," he nodded towards Tony. "Is Anthony asleep?"

"Yes, he fell asleep a few minutes ago," she looked at the man sitting across from her.

"Good, he's going to need all the sleep he can get. You will need some as well," he pulled up a chair next to Abby, sitting down beside her.

"Thanks," she sighed. "Honestly, I'm fine for now. I got a good amount of sleep last night, before all of this got so crazy," she gestured with her hands.

He didn't question her, just simply watched her. "Are you okay, Abigail?"

"Is she going to wake up, Ducky? Tell me the truth."

He shrugged his shoulders. "There is no way of knowing whether she will wake up at all. She will have a better chance once she gets past the twenty-four hour window."

"Okay," she sighed, not questioning him further.

They both turned their attention back to their family. They watched the rise and fall of Ziva's chest, occasionally hearing the soft snores coming from Tony. The first rays of sunshine had finally started to show through the dark clouds, illuminating some light in the room.

_She's family._

_Ziva was family. She wasn't going to leave them so easily, at least not without a fight. She wasn't going to leave them again because it wasn't even an option. They weren't planning on losing her. Not this time._

* * *

Gibbs was back at NCIS, stopping to get a cup of coffee because this was going to be a long day. He sighed, walking down the long corridor to the interrogation room. He pushed the door open, revealing McGee on the other side of the door.

"Boss," McGee stated. "How is she?"

"Mostly stable," Gibbs took a long sip of his coffee. "When are you going to go see her?"

"In a little bit. Maybe once you get underway with him," he nodded towards the man on the other side of the glass window.

Gibbs looked at the man on the other side. "How long has he been like that?"

"Since we got here," McGee looked at his watch. "For about six hours now."

"Hmm…" Gibbs laughed, taking another sip of his coffee.

"Ready to break him," McGee replied.

"Oh, I'm more than ready to break him. I'm ready to make him pay," Gibbs took the manila folder from McGee. "Go see Ziver, McGee. Go check on the family."

"Will do, Boss." The door closed, leaving McGee on the other side of the glass.

Gibbs opened the door in one quick motion. He walked over to the table, throwing the folder on the table.

"I've been waiting for you, Gibbs," Ilan Bodnar smiled at the man standing before him.

"Oh, I'm sure you have." Gibbs banged the table.

Ilan didn't move an inch; he just smirked at the man across from him.

_By the time I'm done with him that smirk will be wiped off his face._

* * *

_Thanks for reading! If you could take a minute or two to review, that would be great! Next update will be up by next Thursday. _


	6. Good Feeling

_Here is chapter 6 for this story. I want to thank everyone for reviewing or following this story. You may not know it, but you guys are what keeps this story going. Your reviews just make me want to keep writing for you. Thank you for that! I'll let you get to it and read. _

* * *

Gibbs continuously glanced at the man sitting across from him at the table.

_Ilan Bodnar._

Gibbs had yet to say anything to the man in almost an hour, casually drinking his third cup of coffee.

Ilan moved his hands, causing the chains to rattle against the smooth surface of the table. "Is this how you always interrogate people?" Ilan questioned the older man, holding up his cuffs.

Gibbs took a long sip of his coffee, before speaking. "Not always," he smirked. "I only do it with the bastards who try to hurt my family."

"They used to be my family," Ilan stated.

"Used to is an understatement," Gibbs raised his voice. "They were _never_ a part of your family!"

"At one point in time they were a part of my family. I _loved _both Eli and Ziva, but things got complicated. They simply were _collateral damage_."

"That's what you call them. You see them as collateral damage?"

"Yes," Ilan confidently replied.

Gibbs laughed, "You really are an idiot, aren't you?"

"Listen here…"

"No!" Gibbs pounded his fist against the table. "You listen to me!"

Ilan didn't flinch, but shifted in his chair.

"You will never get away with this! No one _ever_ hurts a member of my family and gets away with it! All the evidence points to _you."_

Gibbs opened the manila folder on the table, taking out three pictures. "Roland Ames," he pushed the first picture towards Bodnar. "You hired him to kill Eli David," he positioned the other two pictures on the table. "As a result, Jackie Vance was also killed," he pointed at the third picture. "That's two counts of first degree murder."

Ilan Bodnar blankly starred at Gibbs.

Gibbs pulled out more papers from the folder, before speaking. "You also attempted to try and kill a federal agent. You set up a meeting with Ziva David, but never showed. Why was that? You were planning to kill her anyway."

"Change of plans," Ilan smirked. "Besides, I got my revenge. She's dead."

Gibbs frowned, clearing his throat. He took a few seconds to compose himself, breathing in and out.

Ilan knew he struck a chord. The older man in front of him was trying so hard not to break down. He praised himself because he had killed Ziva David.

_Ziva David was dead._

Gibbs took another moment, before continuing. "You were seen fleeing the country at the Dulles International Airport," he pulled out the first few pictures. "It was really your brother, Yaniv Bodnar," he showed him the rest of the pictures, given to them by Mossad.

"Speaking of Yaniv. Where is he?"

"Wouldn't you like to know? He's much better off without you. Where you are going you won't need to worry."

"Where am I going?"

"Oh – oh you will see soon enough," Gibbs smirked. "Yaniv traveled to Berlin. He was caught picking up some diamonds by a drug trafficker named Edward Kraus. Both men were captured by our federal agents," he shuffled around some more papers. "You again attempted to kill two federal agents. You purposely hit Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo's car, almost killing him and Special Agent Ziva David. You hijacked the diamonds that were originally obtained by our agents, fleeing the scene."

"I told her to stay away. Maybe if she had simply listened," Ilan stated matter-of-factly.

"Never doubt Ziva David!" Gibbs growled.

"She should have stayed away. Maybe if she had she wouldn't be dead. Although I would have eventually killed her," Ilan smiled.

"Go to hell!" Gibbs yelled. He got up from his chair, kicking it against the wall.

"I see I struck a nerve," Ilan smirked.

Gibbs walked over to the man. "Get up!" He growled.

The man didn't move.

"I said get up!" Gibbs yanked Bodnar up by his shirt, pushing him against the wall. He pinned him against the wall, throwing his forearm against the man's neck. "You will never – never get away with this! You will pay for her death! Do you understand me?" He pushed his forearm tighter against the man's neck.

"Gibbs!" He heard the voice of the Director through the intercom. "My office, now!"

Gibbs pushed harder against his throat, before letting his grip loosen.

Ilan smirked, walking over to sit back in his chair. He watched as Gibbs gave him one last deadly look, leaving him alone in the room.

Gibbs walked the few feet to the other door, opening it up. Leon Vance stood in front of the mirror.

"Gibbs," Leon nodded, chomping on his toothpick. "What's your end game?"

"There is no end game. I'm giving him satisfaction."

"And that satisfaction is that he thinks he succeeded in killing Ziva David?"

"Yes," Gibbs replied. "I want to mess with his head."

"He deserves to have his head messed with. He's a SOB who tried to kill one of my best agents. How is David?" Leon turned to look at Gibbs.

"She's – she's stable for now," Gibbs sighed.

"Any complications?" Leon questioned.

"There always seems to be complications. She's still not breathing on her own; her heart is beating, which is a good sign. The doctor didn't know whether she would wake up or not. If she does she has the possibility of having brain damage due to the lack of oxygen for so long," he repeated everything the doctor had told him. "We just never seem to get a break, do we?"

"No, we don't. That's what is hard about this job. Our lives are constantly in life or death situations. We just have to pick up the pieces and get through it."

"When did you become a shrink?"

"Kayla and Jared have been making me watch Dr. Phil. Sometimes he has good advice. Thought you could use some."

"Thanks, Leon."

"She'll get through it, Gibbs. She always does."

"Yeah – yeah she always does," he smiled to himself.

"Let's get this SOB," Leon threw his toothpick in the nearby trashcan.

"No good cop, bad cop." Gibbs opened the door, both men stepping out into the hallway.

"We're just going to play bad cop this time."

"I thought I was playing bad cop?" Gibbs blocked the entrance to the interrogation room.

"Now it's time for to play double bad cop." Leon stepped past Gibbs, opening the door.

Ilan smirked, seeing who of all people entered the room. "Director Vance, it's good to see you again."

"Cut the crap, Bodnar! You killed one of my best agents. Explain now!" Leon barked.

Gibbs leaned against the mirror, watching the scene unfold before him. He never saw Leon as mad as he was now. Sure it was just all an act, but he was doing a good job of it.

"What do you want to know?"

"You know damn well," Leon sat in the vacant chair, across from Bodnar. "Explain how you killed Ms. David. We know the whole story," he paused. "Except how you killed Ms. David."

"It wasn't as easy as you think. She has a lot of fight in her for being so small. I was happy to kill her," Ilan smiled.

"You bastard!" Gibbs growled, stepping forward.

"Agent Gibbs, stand down."

"Director," Gibbs reasoned.

"No! Get out and cool off. That's a direct order, Special Agent Gibbs."

Gibbs glared at Bodnar, slamming the door as he left. Once in the hall, he opened his phone. He called McGee, asking if all was still as planned.

Both men watched as Gibbs slammed the door violently.

"Continue," Leon nodded.

"You see Ms. David surprised me."

"_I have a question for you." Ilan stopped the captain._

"_Yes, sir. What do you want?" The captain stopped to talk to Ilan._

"_Are we leaving on time?"_

"_There might be a slight delay, sir."_

"_What's the problem?" Ilan looked up the stairwell._

"_I do not know. The harbormaster has put a hold on our disembarkment. I'm sure it is nothing."_

"_Thank you." Ilan climbed up the staircase, he was met with Ziva pointing a gun at him._

"_Told you I would find you, Ilan." Ziva pointed the gun at his chest._

"_You never give up. I've always admired that about you, Ziva," he stepped towards her. "I could always offer you a fortune in diamonds. But I know better. They mean nothing to you."_

"_There is only one thing I want," she challenged._

"_I'm not going to stand trial in this country, nor am I going back to Israel. You're just going to have to shoot me."_

"_You know I will."_

_He walked away. "I know you also would not shoot an unarmed man in the back."_

"_Ilan stop." He opened the door, she followed. "Ilan!"_

_He threw the first punch, she responded by punching him back._

"There were a few other punches. I had the upper hand though," he smiled. "I made her weak enough to overpower her. I was able to strangle her enough with the chains, wrapping her up in them. I threw her overboard after that and then NCIS showed up. It was too late because she was already dead."

"That's the whole story?" Leon questioned.

"That's the whole story."

"Good. That's all we needed from you." Leon got up from his chair.

"That's all you needed. Don't you have more questions?"

"No, no that's all we needed. Gibbs he's ready." Leon looked through the mirror.

Gibbs came in a few seconds later. "They're here for you."

"Who?" Ilan looked towards the open door.

"Does it really matter? We are done with you," Gibbs smirked. "That is until Ziva gets to you."

"Ziva?" Ilan questioned. "She's – she's dead."

"So you thought." Leon smiled. "She's stable in the hospital."

"But – but you said she was dead."

"Surprise!" Gibbs exclaimed sarcastically.

Leon followed Gibbs, closing the door behind him.

"You can't do this, Gibbs. Gibbs!" Ilan shouted. He tried to move, but was unsuccessful because he was shackled. "Gibbs!" He screamed.

Leon and Gibbs walked down the hall.

"I'm going to go check on Ziver. Are you coming?"

"In a little bit. I have to make sure Ilan gets his transfer."

"He never saw it coming, did he?"

"They never do." Leon laughed.

"We still got it."

"We always do, Gibbs. We always do." Leon walked away, letting Gibbs take off towards his car.

He walked towards the elevator. The doors slid open, he pressed the garage button. Once comfortable, he leaned against the back railing. The elevator descended, opening at the garage level. He made his way towards his car.

_Time to go check on Ziver._

* * *

_I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I know there wasn't any Tiva moments, but this chapter is also important. At one point or another Bodnar will have to be dealt with and this was the first part of that. The next chapters will involve more Tiva...that is if she wakes up. Now I'm just being mean, I know. The next chapter will be up Tuesday. Have a good weekend! Thanks you to those who read or review!_


	7. The Fighter

_A 100 followers. Wow! I didn't expect so many people to follow this story. You guys are amazing for making this story what it is. Your follows and reviews are amazing! I am going to keep thanking you for that until the end of this story. I'll let you get to it and read chapter 7. Enjoy!_

* * *

_The water was engulfing him, but he persevered to find her. With each stroke he continued to swim downwards, despite the burning sensation in his lungs. His brain was telling him to go back; this was not a good idea. He put the thought in the back of his mind and focused on the task at hand. _

_At this point he didn't know how far he had gone. He didn't dare look up because he knew the surface was long gone. He dove deeper, the saltwater burning his vision with each passing second. _

_He almost felt like he was drowning with her, but for him it was die trying. He either saved her or he drowned with her. It was that easy. _

_He continued to propel his arms and legs, gaining a few more feet in his depth. The water was becoming colder and darker. He swam with as much force his body could muster, before catching a glimpse of her ghostly figure._

_He was taken aback by her appearance, she looked almost peaceful. Her hair had broken free of her elastic band, creating a veil around her face. He noticed her skin had more of a bluish tint than her normal olive color. But what got him the most was the outstretched hand that was begging him to grab hold of. In a way she knew that he would find her, even if it was too late for her to be saved. She always knew that as partners, he would find her. _

_He swam the few extra feet, but she seemed to be floating farther away. He tried to grab ahold of her hand, it was of no use. She floated farther and farther away into the darkness, claiming her as its own. _

_His eyes started to gradually close, his lungs overflowing with the strong sensation of saltwater. His mind became foggy, leaving him with the lasting memory of her outstretched hand, begging him to rescue her. The water finally claimed him as he floated down with her, both of them victims._

He woke with a heavy start, shielding his eyes from the sunlight coming through the window. He blinked a few times, shifting his gaze to the unmade hospital bed, which was currently vacant.

He went into panic mode. "Ziva," he whispered. He raised himself up from the uncomfortable hospital chair, gazing around the room. "Ziva," he replied louder.

"DiNozzo, will you shut up." A tired voice replied.

He looked behind him, noticing the pulled curtain. He walked over, pulling it back. He was met with the familiar face of Gibbs.

"Boss," he clarified. "Where's Ziva? She's not in her bed. I don't know where she is…" He rambled. "She's – she's not dead is she?" His eyes grew wide.

"No, DiNozzo! She's not dead, don't let looks fool you. They took her for a few more tests." Gibbs sat up in the cot.

"Okay – okay that's good," he sighed.

"She's fine; she just went for a few more tests so we can get an update on her condition."

"That's good." He sat down next to Gibbs on the cot. "When – when did you get here?"

Gibbs pulled out his cellphone, opening it up to reveal the time. "I got here about five hours ago, its four thirty now."

"It's four thirty? I almost slept for twelve hours," he gawked. "Why didn't anyone wake me?"

"You needed the sleep, after last night _we _all needed the sleep." Gibbs replied.

"I needed to watch Ziva. I'm supposed to make sure she is okay."

"We've been taking shifts, she's doing really well. We should be getting an update from her soon. She's okay, Tony."

"I promised her that I would watch her," Tony sadly replied. "I've failed her, again."

"You haven't failed her. You're merely human, you needed the rest." Gibbs put a reassuring hand on Tony's shoulder. "You saved her and because of you she is still alive. She's going to get through this and she has you to thank for that." Gibbs said.

"Okay, yeah."

"Now you really need to go home and shower. I can smell you and it's not in a good way. You need to clean up and get a fresh chance of clothes, DiNozzo. I sent everyone else home to clean up and sleep, that includes you. It's my turn to stay with Ziver."

"I can't just leave her," he reasoned.

"It's an order, DiNozzo. I'm not asking what you want; I'm telling you what you are going to do."

"But Gibbs." Tony complained.

"No, you need to go home for a bit. You can come back when I let you."

"What if something happens?" Tony questioned.

"I will call you the minute something happens, okay?" Gibbs eyed the younger man. "Go." Gibbs pointed towards the door. "Now."

Tony got up from the cot and made his way to the door. "Promise me, Gibbs. If something happens." Tony put his hand on the door handle, slowly turning it.

"I've always had your back, have I not? I will let you know, if anything happens I will call you. Now go."

"Okay." He stepped out into the hall. "Gibbs?" He poked his head around the door to look at Gibbs.

"What?" Gibbs replied, looking at Tony.

"Thanks, you know for everything," Tony faintly smiled.

"Yeah – yeah. Now go." Gibbs ushered him out of the room with his hand. "Here, you are going to need a car." Gibbs threw him the keys to the Charger.

Tony caught the keys, leaving the room. He closed the door behind him. He walked towards the elevator having a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He ignored it because he trusted Gibbs. If something happened to Ziva he would call.

_He always did._

* * *

Tony stepped into his quiet apartment, leaning against the doorframe for support. The last twenty four hours had taken a toll on him. He sighed, walking to the kitchen. He rummaged through the near empty fridge, but found nothing worth eating. He walked to his bedroom, noticing the faint red light beeping from the answering machine. He pressed the play button, immediately his father's voice filled the quiet space.

"_Hey Junior, it's me of course. Your father, but I'm sure you already knew that." Senior laughed in the background. "Anyway, I'm going to be in the D.C. area next week and I thought maybe you would like to catch up and get a drink together. I know I haven't been a good father, but I thought it would just be nice to see how you are and maybe by now you swept that Israeli goddess off her feet. If you don't I will. Give me a call when you get this, Junior."_

He erased the message off the machine. His father was the last person he wanted to see or hear from right now. He walked towards his bedroom, preparing to take a long, hot shower.

An hour later, he was near ready. He had showered, shaven, and put on a fresh pair of clothes. He was about to leave when his phone rang. He looked at the caller I.D.

_Gibbs._

His heart stopped, he answered quickly. He listened to what Gibbs said and flew out the door.

* * *

Tony was back at the hospital within fifteen minutes. He had broken multiple traffic laws on the way back to the hospital. Gibbs had called, telling him it was urgent. Gibbs didn't have to say another word, before Tony had hung up and was out the door.

He parked the Charger in the closest available spot, careless as to his double parking violation. He took the stairs two at a time, thinking it was faster. He breathed heavily once he was on her floor.

_I should have never left. I should have listened to my gut and stayed with her. _

He ran the rest of the way to her room. He was in view of her room, when he heard the sound of erratic beeping. He pushed the door open; it practically flew off its hinges.

"What's going on?" He stormed into the room.

Dr. Greyson and a nurse stood next to Ziva. Gibbs was in the corner, closely watching him from afar.

"Tony," Gibbs warned.

"No. What are they doing to her?" He stepped towards her hospital bed.

"She is okay, Mr. DiNozzo," Dr. Greyson replied calmly. "She's coming off the ventilator; we think she's ready to start breathing on her own."

"That doesn't look okay," Tony pointed towards the heart monitor. "She's not ready! You need to put her back on it!"

"She's almost there," Dr. Greyson turned down the respiratory rate on the ventilator.

"She's not ready!" Tony screamed.

"Almost there," Dr. Greyson turned the ventilator to its lowest point.

The beeping subsided, going back to its normal pace. Tony watched in awe as he watched her take her first breath.

"What – what she's breathing, but how?" Tony starred in disbelief at her stable heart monitor.

"That's what I was trying to tell you, DiNozzo. They were going to try to wean her off the ventilator. Maybe if you hadn't hung up on me, I could have told you that." Gibbs finally spoke, coming to stand next to Tony. "I called you three more times, but you decided not to answer."

"I – I was trying to get here."

"Yeah and you didn't answer my calls." Gibbs' head slapped Tony. "Now sit down so the doctor can talk."

"Sorry, Boss." Tony murmured, sitting down in the vacant chair next to Ziva, completely fixated by her breathing. He took her warm hand in his and gave it a light squeeze.

"What's next, Doc?" Gibbs looked back towards Dr. Greyson.

"Now we wait and see when she wakes up. She has a good outcome, since she is breathing on her own." Dr. Greyson wrote a few notes in her chart.

"Do you have any idea as to when she will wake up?" Gibbs questioned.

"When we conducted her scans, we noticed the swelling in her brain had gone down dramatically. So it could be a few days or weeks. It just depends how fast the swelling in her brain goes down. She has a good outcome, Agent Gibbs."

"Thank you," Gibbs automatically replied.

"This is why I do this job." Dr. Greyson replied, leaving with the nurse.

"She's breathing on her own, Gibbs." Tony smiled widely at Gibbs, adjusting his grip on Ziva's hand.

"Yes, yes she is." Gibbs smiled, pulling out his cell phone. "I'm going to call the others and give them an update, let them have a chance to come see her." Gibbs walked over, leaning in to kiss Ziva's temple.

_You're strong. You just need to keep staying on the road to recovery, Ziver._

Gibbs smiled, leaving Tony in the room alone. He walked towards a vacant corner, calling the rest of the family for a much-needed update.

* * *

_Ziva is finally starting to get better, which I'm sure most of your were looking forward to. Although everything isn't as it seems, like Gibbs said don't be fooled. Now I have you worried. You'll just have to stick it out and see what happens next for both Ziva and Tony. Next update should be up by Sunday. Reviews are welcomed!_


	8. Stronger

_Here is the next chapter. This story is starting to pick up and I hope you are as excited as I am. Thanks to all the reviews and followers! I'll let you get to it and read... _

* * *

The ring of the bell signals his entrance into the little shop. He inhales the scent of freshly-cut flowers. It still smells the same even a year later.

_He finds Wendy in the flower shop, taking pictures of the crime scene. He jokes with her, before eventually cutting to the chase._

"_Well, would it make a difference now? I mean, if you weren't so sad, and so lonely, you wouldn't even be wondering."_

_He laughs at her comment. "Are…" He turns around. "Sad and lonely? You have me confused with Bosco. You like to see my little black e-book?"_

"_Show me what you like, but it's not going to change what I see with my own eyes." She turns away from him. "You should tell her how you feel, whoever she is."_

If only he could have told her how he really felt a year ago. _Maybe none of this would have happened_ _in the first place. _His ex-fiancée could even point out that he had feelings for another woman, but he had ignored it a year ago. He didn't want to do that any longer, now he wanted to finally tell her how he felt. _As long as she woke up._

He made his way around the store. Choosing to start at the front of the shop, before making his way to the back.

A short woman appeared behind the desk, smiling widely at him. "Can I help you with anything, Sir?"

"Actually, yes. What kind of flowers would a woman love?" He asks leaning against the counter.

"Well most woman love flowers," she chuckles.

"I get that," he laughs. "But what kind of flowers would make her eyes really light up?"

"Well, what is she like?" She asks with curiosity.

"She's _everything _a man could ever want. There is no one way to describe her," he smiles.

"Give me a few characteristics and I promise I can find you some flowers," she promises.

"She's smart, beautiful, and exotic. But why do you need to know that?" He asks confused.

"I know just the perfect kind of flower." The woman walked around the counter, making her way to the front of the store. She looked around for a moment, before landing her eyes on just the right flowers. "Here they are."

Tony followed her to the front of the store, her back turned to him. He stopped behind her and watched her closely.

It took her a moment, before she turned around. She held up a white flower with dark-green leaves. "These are Gardenias," she pointed towards the flowers. "A Gardenia is an exotic flower. They symbolize purity and sweetness. Others say they indicate secret love."

"They're perfect." He breathed, touching one of the glossy petals.

"Great!" The woman beamed. "How many would you like?"

"I'll take a dozen."

"Okay, I'll wrap these up for you," she smiled, walking back towards the counter.

He followed her back to the counter, pulling out his wallet.

She hit a few buttons on the cash register. "Okay, your total is $31.08."

He pulled out some cash, handing it to the lady. He heard the cash register ding and watched as she put the money in the drawer.

"Okay, here's your change," she handed him the change. "Thank you! I'm sure this special girl will really enjoy the flowers," she smiled.

"I'm sure she will. Thanks," he picked up the flowers, walking out the door. He got back in the car, heading towards the hospital.

* * *

Abby and McGee walked around the hospital gift shop, looking at the many different gifts to choose from. There were multiple fruit baskets, stuffed animals, cards, and balloons.

_What to choose? What to choose?_

"What about a balloon that says 'Get Well'?" McGee pointed to the various balloons in the shop.

"McGee!" Abby punched him in the shoulder.

"Ow! What was that for?" McGee rubbed his shoulder.

"We can't just get her a balloon; we have to get her something amazing."

"We've been here for almost an hour and haven't found anything."

"That's because we are still looking. Calm down, McGee," she walked ahead of him. She gasped at the sight before her. "He's perfect."

"Abby. He's $50," he looked at the price tag. "Don't you think that is expensive?"

"Nope." She picked up the stuffed dog. He was a large white dog; multiple spots lined his soft fur. "To the checkout counter." Abby headed towards the front of the store.

"Is this all?" The woman behind the counter said.

"Yes," Abby smiled, walking towards the exit with the stuffed dog.

"Abby, aren't you going to pay?" McGee looked towards her.

"No, you are." With that she smiled and left the shop.

McGee paid and met Abby outside. "You owe me $53.13," he looked at the receipt.

"Oh, McGee," she smiled, leaving him alone.

They made their way to the elevator. The doors opened, revealing a crowd. Abby stepped on with McGee behind. The elevator buzzed, indicating too much weight.

"McGee, you are going to have to get off." Abby shooed him out of the elevator. She smiled as the doors closed.

McGee sighed, waiting a few seconds to press the up button.

"Women," he muttered under his breath. He stepped onto the elevator, going up.

Abby and McGee entered her hospital room, putting the stuffed dog on the table.

"You two rob the gift shop?" Gibbs looked up at the pair.

"No, but it probably would've been cheaper and easier." McGee muttered sitting down. "How is she?" McGee looked at Ziva in the hospital bed.

"She's getting there," Gibbs sighed. "Duck went to get an update from the doctor. He should be back soon."

"She'll get better," Abby smiled, taking Ziva's hand in her own. "Where's Tony?" Abby looked around the room.

"I sent him to pick up some flowers. He needed to get away for a little bit."

"Does he seem better?" Abby asked.

"A little. He'll be okay, Abby. He just needs time."

"I know," she sighed. "I just want her to wake up so this can all be over."

"I know, Abs. Me too." Gibbs leaned back in his chair.

They were all silent, watching as Ziva's chest rose and fell with each breath. All three were thinking the same thing. _She wasn't out of the wood yet. _She still had the possibility of brain damage. They just hoped that by some _miracle_ she would prove them all wrong.

* * *

Jimmy Palmer was not the kind of man to be scared of hospitals. He dealt with dead people every day, which never bothered him. But with life there was always an exception. It was only when a family member was in pain that he couldn't stand hospitals, which was the current situation he was in. A member of his family was hurt and he couldn't find her hospital room.

He wandered down the corridor, turning a corner.

"Mr. Palmer," he heard a surprised voice announce in front of him.

"Dr. Mallard," Jimmy clarified. "I – I was just trying to find Ziva's room, but – but I was having some trouble, you see," he gestured awkwardly.

"Mr. Palmer, calm down. Follow me." Ducky walked down the hall a few doors. He paused, opening the door. He gestured for Jimmy to walk in.

Jimmy walked in, practically losing his footing. He was taken aback by a body slamming into him.

"Jimmy!" Abby squealed, hugging him. "You're here!"

"It's nice to see you too, Abby." Jimmy hugged her back. "Looks like the group is almost here."

"DiNozzo should be back any minute." Gibbs piped in.

"Good because I have an update for you all." Ducky stood in front of the group.

"It's not bad is it, Duck?" McGee asked worried.

"Oh, Ducky. Please, please tell us." Abby begged of the older man.

"I think it is best if we wait for Anthony."

As if on cue the door opened, revealing Tony. He stepped in the room, holding the vase of flowers. "Family meeting, Boss?" He questioned, looking at Gibbs.

"Ducky has an update."

"Good – good." Tony set the flowers next to the gigantic stuffed dog. He chuckled at the animal. "Nice pick, McGoo."

"Hey, it was all Abby." McGee defended.

"I think he's adorable and I'm sure Ziva will love him!" Abby agreed.

Everyone settled in the vacant chairs throughout the room. Gibbs broke the silence. "What is it, Duck?"

"I've got good and bad news," Ducky started. "The good news is that she should be waking up in the next few days. The swelling in her brain has drastically gone down."

"That's good!" Abby excitedly beamed.

"The bad news?" Tony prepared for the worst.

"They still don't know whether she will have normal brain function. Once she wakes up, we'll have to wait and see if she responds normally."

"There is still a chance she could be okay, right?" Tony asked.

"Yes, Anthony. She could be completely fine, but there is no way to tell until she wakes up."

"Okay." Tony came to term with the news. "She'll be okay."

"Yes." Ducky reassured Tony.

Gibbs watched Tony for a moment, before speaking. "Who wants coffee?" Gibbs got up from his chair, stretching his back.

"I could use a cup of tea, Jethro. As well as Mr. Palmer." Ducky and Palmer left the room.

"I think I'm okay." McGee replied.

Abby elbowed him in the side. "Ow!"

"I think you need an icepack, McGee. Let's go!" Abby smiled sweetly.

McGee and Abby left the room, leaving Gibbs and Tony alone.

"DiNozzo." Gibbs asked.

"Yeah, Gibbs?" He looked at his boss.

"If you need anything you know where to find us, okay?"

"Thanks," he smiled at the older man.

"Show her the flowers, DiNozzo. She would like that." With that Gibbs left the room.

Tony got up from his chair, picking up the vase from the table. He walked over to the side table, placing it on the hard surface. "I hope you love the flowers, I got them especially for you," he smiled at the thought. "They are Gardenias. The lady at the shop helped me pick them out. I know you would be mocking me right now," he laughed.

_DiNozzo can't even pick out some simple flowers, she would mock._

"I know you've seen my bucket list. You even made fun of me for it, but what you never realized was that you were on it. You applied to a few different ones, but one of the most important ones always stood out."

_26. Tell her._

"I actually didn't add it to the list, until after Wendy left. She made me realize that I'm in love with you. I realized it sooner, but she could see right through my act. She knew I had feelings for another woman, I just wouldn't admit it to her."

_Or to myself._

"She made me really think that someday I could tell this woman how I felt. That is why you need to wake up, Ziva," he caressed her hand in his. "I need to tell you how I really feel because I've been to chicken to tell you the last few years. Life is too short and we've proved that in multiple situations."

_Way too many close encounters. He was shot and stuck in the hospital, unable to remember anything. She was captured and tortured in Somalia. They were in a car accident that almost killed them. There were always too many close life and death situations. Sure it came with the job, but sometimes it was almost too close. He was tired of living in fear, he wanted to start living. _

"I want to start a life with you, Ziva David. This can't be it and I won't let you go like this. When you wake up because I know one of these days you will. I want you to be the same woman I feel in love with. You are stronger than this and don't deserve this. I'm not giving you permission to do anything, but be the woman I feel in love with."

_This is me pouring my heart out for her._

* * *

_I hope you enjoyed the chapter! This one was really fun to write, I enjoyed the teasing between Abby and McGee. I hope you did too. The next chapter should be up within the next few days. _


	9. Sink or Swim

_Here it is! The chapter you all have been waiting for. This is probably one of my favorite chapters in this story so far, besides one other one. I enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope you enjoy reading it. Well get to it and read!_

* * *

Her body ached, but most importantly her head throbbed. She carefully listened to her surroundings, taking note of the constant beeping on her left side.

_Where am I?_

The beeping sped up just a little bit, causing the sound to become more erratic.

_What is that noise?_

She heard a soft voice on her left side, but she couldn't place the voice without a face.

_Open your eyes. Open your eyes, Ziva._

With a deep breath in, she opened her eyes slowly. The fluorescent lights created a burning sensation in her line of vision.

"The lights – lights," she stuttered, shielding her eyes with her arm. She noticed the IV peeking out of her skin, putting two and two together.

Am_ I in the hospital?_

"Sorry. I didn't think you would be waking up so soon, Ziva." The man turned down the lights, before making his way over to her bedside.

She blinked a few times, focusing on the figure in front of her. "Gibbs," she slowly acknowledged.

"Welcome back, Ziver," he smiled warmly. He walked away, pouring her a glass of water.

She watched him walk away, closing her eyes for just a moment. She coughed, her throat suddenly feeling raw.

"Here," he placed the cup on her tray table.

She opened her eyes, reaching for the glass of water. "Thanks," she groaned, shifting in the hospital bed to sit up.

"Let me help." Gibbs pressed a button on the remote. The bed instantly reclined into a sitting position. "Better?"

She approvingly nodded. She drank a few sips, before feeling sick.

Gibbs took the cup from her, placing it on the table. "What hurts?" Gibbs questioned.

"Everything," she sighed. "My whole body hurts, especially my head," she rubbed her temples.

"I'll get the doctor." Gibbs pressed the call button located behind her bed.

"What the hell happened, Gibbs?" She questioned.

"There was an accident," he started.

"What kind of accident?" She asked worriedly. The heart monitor sped up a few paces.

Gibbs noticed a change in her demeanor. "You don't remember?"

She racked her brain for some kind of memory, but nothing came to mind. She shook her head. "What kind of accident, Gibbs?" She asked again.

"You were in an accident," he repeated slowly. "I can explain once Tony..."

_Oh my god, Tony._

"Where is Tony? Where is he, Gibbs? He wasn't in the accident was he?" She asked a million questions all at once.

"You need to calm down, Ziva." He noticed her increasing heart rate. "Everything's fine. Just calm down."

"Where is he? Why won't you tell me?" She started to hyperventilate, her breathing becoming more irregular.

In the next second a rush of two nurses and Dr. Greyson hurriedly entered her room.

"Ms. David, I need you to calm down," Dr. Greyson soothed,putting her bed back down in a flat position. "This isn't good for your heart. Can you calm down for me?"

"What's going on? No one will tell me what's going on. Where's Tony?" Her heart rate continued to accelerate.

"Ms. David, you need to calm down," Dr. Greyson explained. He asked her to calm down a few more times, but each time got worse. "Go ahead." Dr. Greyson nodded at the nurse.

Gibbs saw one of the nurses prepare a syringe, before sticking it into Ziva's arm. He watched her features soften and she instantly fell asleep. "What is that?" Gibbs nodded towards the syringe.

"It's a sedative to calm her down and allow her to sleep. Hopefully she will be more relaxed when she wakes up." Dr. Greyson wrote a few notes in her chart.

"How long does it take effect?" Gibbs questioned.

"A few hours at most."

"She couldn't remember the accident. Is that normal?"

"That is normal, Agent Gibbs. When she wakes up we can assess her brain function better. By the looks of it though she seemed responsive enough to know her surroundings."

"Okay. Thank you, Dr. Greyson." Gibbs nodded.

"My pleasure. She's one of the lucky ones," he smiled, before leaving the room.

Gibbs sat back in the vacant chair next to her bed.

_Hell yeah she is._

* * *

He entered the restaurant fifteen minutes earlier than anticipated.

"Hi, how may I help you?" The bubbly blond waitress replied behind the hostess stand.

"Reservations for DiNozzo."

She scanned through the computer. "Yes, right this way." She walked towards the dining area.

She stood at a table, an older man already sat in one of the two chairs.

"Junior." The man acknowledged, lifting his head up.

"Dad?" Tony replied surprised. "You're here early." He sat down in the seat across from his dad.

The waiter placed the menus in front of the two men. "The waiter will be right with you."

"Thank you, Paisley." Senior smiled, looking at her name tag.

"You're welcome," she smiled, walking back to her post.

"Dad. Why are you here so early?" Tony questioned.

"On the phone it sounded urgent so I got her early."

"Yes, but it's so unlike you to be somewhere early." Tony pointed out.

"Well things are different now, Junior." Senior stated.

"How are they different?"

"Slow down, Junior." Senior laughed. "Let's get some dinner and drinks before we get down to business, shall we?"

"Fine, fine." Tony gave up.

A few minutes later the waitress arrived. She introduced herself, taking their orders. Once their food and drinks had arrived, Tony finally asked his questions.

"Why did you call dad?" Tony took a bite of his food. "We haven't spoken in months, so why now?"

"Can't a father check up on his own son?" Senior took a drink of his Champagne.

"You never cared so why now?" Tony put his fork down.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing. Is that okay?"

"No, no dad that isn't okay," he raised his voice. "Nothing is okay, don't you understand?"

"Junior, what's wrong with you? Is something going on?"

"It's - it's Ziva," he hesitated, racking his hair in frustration.

"Is she okay?"

"No, dad. She isn't okay. There was an accident," he answered.

"What kind of accident? Is she hurt?"

"She drowned," he whispered. "It was one of the scariest moments in my life. She was so cold and blue when I pulled her out."

_He remembered the nightmares he started having only a few days ago. They would all start out the same. She would sink towards the bottom and he would swim down to save her. It was always the same ending result. Death._

"You saved her?" Senior stated.

"Yes, yes I did. She didn't respond to anything. She was in the hospital and for the longest time I thought she wasn't going to make it. I thought that she was going to die. The doctor said there was a good chance she wouldn't make it, but she proved them wrong. Her heart is beating and she's breathing on her own."

"That's good, Junior." Senior patted his son's hand.

"She still isn't out of the wood yet, dad. It's been three days and she hasn't woken up yet. They don't know if she will have normal brain function. I'm just worried she won't be the same if and when she wakes up."

"She just needs time, son. Ziva is strong woman."

"I just want her to wake up," Tony sighed.

_Beep, beep, beep._

"What is that?"Senior asked his son.

"It's my phone." Tony took out his phone, opening up the recent text message. He read the message from McGee:

_Ziva is awake. Come to the hospital, now!_

Tony almost dropped his phone, smiling widely from ear to ear.

"What is it, son?"

"She's awake. She's awake!" He happily repeated, shooting up from his chair. He gathered his things, making his way to the door. "Aren't you coming?"

"I have to pay the bill first," Senior laughed. "Listen, I'll be in town for a few more days. I can come see her in a few days when she is better, okay?"

"Okay, dad. I'll call you and thanks."

"For what?" Senior asked in confusion.

"Listening," Tony simply replied, he practically sprinted to his car. He was on his way to the hospital because _Ziva was awake._

* * *

He took the stairs two at a time, thinking he didn't have time to wait for the elevator. He promptly arrived at her room, opening the door. He saw Gibbs sitting in the chair next to her bed. "Is she awake?" He breathed heavily, trying to catch his breath.

"She was?" Gibbs replied.

"Was?" Tony questioned, seeing her closed eyelids. "McGee told me she was awake."

"She was, DiNozzo. She woke up a few hours ago. She started to hyperventilate so they gave her a sedative."

"Why did she hyperventilate?" Tony hurriedly asked.

"She was asking for you." Gibbs looked at Tony directly in the eyes.

"She - she was asking for me?" His heart broke. "Why didn't you call me? I could have been here."

"You needed time with your father. I didn't expect her to wake up so soon."

"You should have called me, Gibbs," he stated loudly.

"Well I choose not to. Don't take it out on me. She's awake, DiNozzo."

"Fine," he huffed. "What did you say to her?"

"She couldn't remember the accident. I didn't have the chance to say much of anything, before the doctor came in."

"She couldn't remember the accident?"

"No, she couldn't and that's completely normal," Gibbs reasoned.

"Okay. Do they know when will she wake up?"

"The doctor said in a few hours," Gibbs replied, getting up from his chair. "I'll let you stay with her. I need a cup of coffee," he mumbled, leaving the hospital room.

Tony sat down in the abandoned hospital chair, gripping Ziva's hand in his own.

* * *

She slowly began to awaken, her mind feeling foggy. Her body felt heavy and sore. She opened her eyelids, taking immediate notice of the warm hand squeezing her own. She looked down at the hand, making her way up to the hazel eyes starring intently back at her.

"Hey there, Sweetcheeks," he grinned.

_Tony._

* * *

_I know I left you at a cliffhanger, don't hate me. The next chapter will pick up right after this, I promise it will be worth it. I don't know when I will post it because I start school in two days. I will try to get it up as soon as possible. The latest would be by the end of this week. Thanks to all who favorite or review!_


	10. Coming Home

_Here is chapter 10 of this story! I'm sorry I didn't get this up sooner. Things have been a bit crazy and they probably will only get crazier, but I'm trying so thanks for being patient with me. This chapter is another time jump so I hope you don't mind that. Also, someone had asked me why I named this fanfic Pitter-Pat. I didn't really know what I was going to call this at the time. I was listening to my iPod when I wrote the first chapter. One of the songs that came up was Pitter-Pat by Erin McCarley so I went with that as a title because I love that song. I'm not very good at naming things, if you didn't know that already. Well, I'll let you get to it and enjoy!_

* * *

_Three days later…_

It had been a little over a week since the accident. _The accident she still didn't know everything about. _She had woken up three days ago to see the familiar face of her partner, _Tony. _She was overjoyed to see him and see that he was alright. The first thing she wanted to know was what had happened to her. He had told her about the accident, how she drowned. What he didn't tell her was how she had got to the hospital. He had stopped the story and told her that she needed to rest. She hadn't seen much of him since, he was ignoring her. She didn't like to be ignored, especially by him.

The whole team had come to visit her over the past few days. They had come and gone, but Tony had yet to show up. She had tried to pry it out of Gibbs, but he had refused to talk about it. He said she needed to talk to Tony about the accident and where he had been.

She was currently packing up her belongings. She was leaving against medical advice because let's face it; she was tired of staying in the hospital. She still was in pain, she didn't deny that. The doctor was going to give her medication for the time being. No one questioned her on the choice because they didn't stand a chance to make her stay in this hospital any longer. She just wanted to leave and get back to her life.

She was determined to stay at her place, but Gibbs had other plans. He had said she needed to stay with someone. Abby had immediately offered her home to Ziva. Ziva hesitated, but she didn't really have a choice.

Now she was just waiting for Abby to come pick her up so she could go to her place. She looked at the clock, sighing because Abby was already half an hour late. "Where are you, Abby?" She mumbled under her breath.

"I'm definitely not Abby," said a voice from behind her.

She immediately turned around to see Tony standing in the doorway, leaning his shoulder against the doorframe. "What are you doing here?" She turned away from him, continuing to fold her clothes.

"Ziva," he sighed. "I'm sorry. I've been busy."

"No, no I do not want to hear it. I've been awake for almost three days and you weren't here."

"If you just let me explain…" He tried reasoning with her, clearly it wasn't working.

"I don't want to hear it, Tony. You weren't here." She felt the tears beginning to from in her eyes.

"Just let me explain, Ziva," he stepped towards her.

"No, I'm not going to stand here and listen to you. Besides, Abby will be here any minute to take me to her place." She packed the last of her clothes in the bag, hurriedly zipping it up.

"Actually…" He started.

"Change of plans, Ziver," Gibbs replied, walking into the room. "You are going to stay with DiNozzo."

"What – what happened to Abby?" She looked between the two men. She was angry at Tony; there would be no way she could stay with him. "I thought Abby was going to let me stay with her," she gulped.

"Abby isn't feeling very well; she said she may have picked something up."

"Can't I stay with you, Gibbs?" She looked at the older man.

"You could, but DiNozzo offered his place." Gibbs picked up her bag, slinging it over his shoulder.

"I took off a few days for you." Tony looked at Ziva.

"Perfect," she mumbled under her breath, walking towards the door. "Are we ready?" She looked between the two men.

"We're waiting." Tony gingerly replied.

"What are we waiting for?" She questioned him.

"For this." A nurse gripping a wheelchair walked into the room. "Are you ready, Ms. David?" The nurse looked at the younger woman.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" She pointed at the wheelchair.

"You're supposed to sit in it, Ziva," Tony lightly laughed.

"I'm not leaving this hospital in that. I refuse to," she huffed as she folded her arms.

"I'm sorry, but it's protocol. It's the only way we will let you leave the hospital." The nurse replied, turning the wheelchair around for Ziva to sit in.

"Are you kidding me?" Ziva laughed. "I have to leave in that?"

"Yes." The nurse nodded towards the wheelchair.

"But…" She hesitated.

"Sit down, Ziver." Gibbs headed towards the door.

"Gibbs," she complained.

"Just do it." He moved out in the hallway. "Let's go."

She sighed, plopping down in the wheelchair. She noticed the nurse reached down to put the footrests into place. "No, no let's just go. Make this less embarrassing than it has to be."

"Okay." The nurse replied, pushing the wheelchair out of the room.

The nurse wheeled Ziva towards the elevator, Tony following closely behind the pair. Gibbs got to the elevator first, pushing the down button. The elevator arrived a few moments later, the group stepping onto the elevator.

The ride down was quiet. The only thing that could be heard was the ding of the elevator, indicating that they were on the ground floor. The nurse pushed the wheelchair out of the hospital, before letting Ziva get up. She smiled politely, going back into the hospital.

"I'm going to get the car," Gibbs left the pair alone, before either could say anything.

This felt awkward because she didn't know what to say to him. She was furious with him and she knew that he knew that. She chewed nervously on her bottom lip, hoping that at any moment Gibbs would be back with the car.

"Ziva," Tony started.

"There's the car," she replied awkwardly, walking over to the car. She immediately got into the car, buckling herself in.

Tony watched as Gibbs leaned over in the car, whispering something in her ear. Ziva nodded and kept her gaze on the view in front of her. Gibbs kissed her temple, opening the car door. He watched as Gibbs got out of the car and made his way over to Tony.

Tony sighed, meeting Gibbs halfway. "She's in a hurry." Tony watched Ziva lean against the back of her seat.

"Go easy on her, DiNozzo. You just have to talk to her. She'll understand." Gibbs reasoned.

"That's what I'm worried about. I'm afraid she won't understand." Tony sighed.

"She will if you explain it to her. Just give her time, okay?"

"Okay," Tony agreed, dropping the subject. "Are you going to go see Abby?"

"Yeah, I'll go check on her. Call if you need anything, DiNozzo." Gibbs began to walk away. "Tony?"

"What?" Tony looked at Gibbs.

"Take care of her." Gibbs continued to walk away.

"I always do." Tony watched a Gibbs walked away, before getting into the front seat of his car. "Ready?" Tony looked towards Ziva.

She nodded, leaning her head against the headrest.

Tony adjusted the mirrors, watching Ziva close her eyes. He put the car in drive and drove the familiar route to his apartment.

It didn't take long for them to arrive at his apartment, he parked the car. He turned to look at Ziva; she had been silent for the whole ride. He smiled slightly to himself, she had fallen asleep, and her soft snores could be heard through the silence of the car.

He got out of the car, going over to her side. He opened her door, debating whether or not he should wake her. She really needed her sleep, but she would kill him if he carried her to his apartment. He stood there for a moment, going through the pros and cons in his head.

_It was worth a shot, he didn't have the heart to wake her._

He unbuckled her seatbelt, opening the car door even wider. He placed one arm under her legs and the other on her lower back, scooping her up. She was lighter than he expected. He shut the car door with his foot, carrying her to the entrance of his apartment. He didn't have any problems, until he got to his door. Somehow he was successful in opening his apartment door, mentally patting himself on the back for being so good at multitasking. He didn't have time to turn on the lights, he knew the way to his bedroom.

He carefully laid her on his bed, wondering how she could sleep through all of that. He pulled out a spare blanket from the bedroom closet, covering her up with it. She contently sighed, making him smile to himself. Even in her sleep, she was still _beautiful _as ever. He watched her for a moment, before tiptoeing out of his room, closing the door behind him.

He wasn't expecting her to wakeup anytime soon; he could tell she was exhausted. Sure she would probably kill him when she found out that he carried her up here, but he didn't have the heart to wake her. _It showed how much he cared for her. _They had so much they needed to talk about, but the least he could do was let her sleep.

He left his apartment, walking back out to his car to retrieve her bag. He opened the door, pulling her bag out. He pressed the lock button, the car beeped. He walked back up to his apartment, placing her bag near his bedroom door.

_Now what was he supposed to do?_

He walked over to his movie collection, scanning the various genres of movies. He finally settled on _Forrest Gump._ He put the movie in the DVD player, making his way over to his kitchen. He put the bag in the microwave, hearing the popping sounds from the popcorn. He stopped the microwave, pouring it into a bowl. He pulled out a beer from the fridge, walking back over to his couch. He pressed play and leaned back against the couch.

The opening credits rolled in. The movie just beginning, he chomped on his popcorn greedily. He realized he hadn't eaten since earlier that morning. He went through two beers, putting his hand in the popcorn bowl. He saw that he had eaten all of the popcorn, placing the empty bowl on the table. He watched the rest of the movie in silence, starting to feel his eyelids droop.

He woke up two hours later, noticing that he had fallen asleep. He sat up, cracking his back to get the kinks out of it. He pulled himself up from the couch, taking his beer bottles and empty bowl to the kitchen. He dropped them in the sink.

_He needed to check on Ziva. She had yet to wake up._

He walked over to his bedroom door, preparing to open it. It was almost open, until he heard her scream for him. He hastily opened the door, running into the darkened room.

_He would save her, he would always save her. _

* * *

_I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I know most of the chapters have been from Tony's POV but the next chapter will include a little more of Ziva's POV. I'm hoping to get the next chapter up by the end of this week. I'm sorry in advance if I don't, but I try and get it up as soon as I can. Thanks to all who review or follow. I hope you all have a good week and be excited because the new season comes back in a few weeks!_


	11. Battle Scars

_I'm sorry for the delay in posting the new chapter. School is kicking my butt to put it in good context. I'm sticking to weekly updates as much as I can. I just want to thank you for your support and being patient. Enough of my constant rambling and I'll let you read._

* * *

He fumbled with the lamp on the nightstand, hurriedly trying to turn it on. He found the switch, hearing it click. His eyes adjusted to the newly soft glow that illuminated itself throughout the room. He turned to look at Ziva, seeing the pained expression painted across her features. She had stopped screaming; instead she had started to whimper.

"Ziva," he replied softly, rubbing her shoulder gently. "Ziva," he replied louder.

"No!" She screamed, waking up with a sudden start. Her hands flew to the first thing she could find, her ninja skills abruptly kicking in.

He reacted quickly, taking her wrists in his hands.

"No!" She yelled. "Don't do this! Please, please don't do this." She continued to struggle against him, despite the hold on her wrists.

"Hey, it's just me. It's Tony. You're alright. No one's going to hurt you," he loudly replied, trying to get her full attention.

"You can't do this!" She replied hysterically, continuing to struggle against him.

"Just stop! I don't want you to hurt yourself, Ziva." He felt her go suddenly limp.

She stopped struggling; finally realizing that it wasn't Bodnar who she was fighting. _It was Tony. _She blinked a few times, focusing her gaze on him. "Tony," she whispered, tears threatening to fall. "I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry."

He let go of her wrists. "It's okay," he soothed, sitting on the edge of the bed. "You're okay. It was just a bad dream." He pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms around her small frame. "It's okay."

"No, no it is not," she continued to sob, her back against his chest. "Nothing's okay." The tears cascaded down her already wet cheeks.

He held her for a few more minutes. He wanted her to feel safe when she was with him. _He would always keep her safe. _

She continued to cry, her sobs turning into hiccups. She relaxed against his chest. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

He turned her around so he could see her face. "There's nothing to be sorry about," he wiped away the last few remaining tears. "Do you want to talk about it?" He remained hopeful.

"No," she quickly shook her head. "I can't do this right now, Tony."

"Okay," he didn't push the subject any further.

"Okay," she agreed, turning back around to lean against his chest.

They sat this way for a few minutes, he rubbed her shoulders gently.

She sighed, her thoughts consuming her. She could say that in a way she felt _safe_ with him, but at the same time everything was just so confusing.

He watched her for a few minutes, her breathing becoming slower and even. He waited a minute, before speaking. "Ziva," he whispered.

She didn't respond.

He shifted her against his chest, slowly getting out of the bed. He quietly scooped her up, laying her form flat on the bed. He rubbed her cheek, wiping the last remnant of tears. He covered her up, turning to leave the bedroom.

"Tony," she sleepily mumbled. "Don't leave, please."

"I won't," he looked towards the bed. I'll be right back," he replied.

"Okay," she whispered, exhaustion quickly taking over.

He left the room, making his way over to the linen closet. He opened up the door, pulling out the sleeping bag. His back was going to hurt tonight, but it was worth it.

_For her anything was worth it. _

He took a pillow from the couch, going back into the bedroom. He unraveled the sleeping bag, placing it beside the bed. He looked at her soft features; sleep had finally taken over her. He turned to turn off the light, before bending down to get into his sleeping bag.

_Goodnight, Sweetcheeks._

* * *

She woke up the next morning, her eyes slowly adjusting to the sunlight coming through the window. She took in her surroundings. It took her a moment to realize this wasn't her home. Then she remembered that she was currently staying with Tony. She shifted her gaze to the clock on the nightstand.

_9:08 AM._

She sighed, starting to get up. She pulled herself up, putting her feet on the ground. Only this time they didn't hit the ground. Instead, they hit something solid. She looked down realizing that Tony was on the floor in a sleeping bag. She pulled her feet back up, afraid that she had woken him. She watched him for a second, but he didn't stir. She moved to the foot of the bed, crawling out of it.

She made her way to the adjacent bathroom, closing the door behind her. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, gasping at her appearance. This was the first time she had looked in the mirror since she woke up only a few days ago. She rubbed her neck with her palms, seeing the faint bruising. She checked the rest of her body for injuries. She found a few more cuts and bruises, feeling uglier just at the sight of them.

She turned on the facet, getting her hands wet. She vigorously rubbed at her neck, until the skin was almost raw. She wanted to get rid of the evidence, she didn't need the physical reminder of her accident. She cried when the hot water didn't do anything. She turned off the facet, leaving the bathroom.

She checked to see if he was still sleeping, before making her way into his closet. She looked at the various suits, setting her eyes on the clothes in the far corner of the closet. She saw the Ohio State University sweatshirt, she rubbed the soft fabric between her fingers. She pulled it off of the hanger, pulling it over her head. She made her way over to the mirror, adjusting the hood to hide the bruising.

She closed the door to his closet, tiptoeing back to the living room. She sat on the couch, leaning her body against the soft cushions. She sighed, closing her eyes.

* * *

He placed his palms on the bed, using it for support. He groaned, feeling his back crack at the sudden movements. He got up off the floor, noticing the unmade bed.

_Where was she?_

He slowly shuffled towards the living room. The sleeping figure on the couch got his attention. He watched from afar, hearing the loud snores coming from her small frame.

_For such a small person she could really snore. _

He made his way over to the couch. He touched her shoulder gently, trying to wake her. "Do you want to get up, Ziva?" He coaxed her from her sleep.

"No," she mumbled, burying herself deeper into the cushions. "I just want to sleep."

"What if I made some breakfast? Maybe some waffles," he smiled.

"Chocolate chip waffles," she replied, finally opening her eyes.

"Sure. Anything for you," he laughed, reaching his arm out to help her.

She gladly let him pull herself up, pulling the hood tighter around her neck.

"Are you cold?" He questioned, looking at the familiar sweatshirt.

_It looks good on her._

"Kind of," she bit her bottom lip nervously.

He noticed the shift in her mood. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head, deciding to show him what she was so upset about. She pulled at the sweatshirt, showing the faint bruising around her neck. "It's bad isn't it?"

He knew that it was already there. "Ziva," he started.

"Don't start Tony," she coldly replied. "You knew it was there. You know everything and yet you won't tell me. Why can't you just tell me?"

"I'm just trying to protect you."

"How are we supposed to get anywhere if you won't even tell me these things?" She started to walk away from him.

"Ziva," he pleaded, reaching for her hand. "Don't shut me out," he gripped her hand.

"It's the only thing I can do. You won't tell me anything, Tony. You _refuse _to tell me about the accident and where the hell you've been for the past three days," she replied harshly. "I was in the hospital. Your own _partner _was in the hospital! You give me no choice but to shut you out, Tony." She yanked her hand out of his grip, clearly frustrated with the whole situation.

"Where are you going?" He questioned, watching her walk towards the bedroom.

"I called Abby, she's feeling better. I'm going to go stay with her," she yelled, preparing to pack up her bag.

He walked into the bedroom after her. "You can't just leave," he argued, watching her throw her remaining clothes into the duffel bag.

"Watch me," she pushed past him, heading for the front door. Before she knew it, he gripped her hands. The bag fell to the floor with a thud.

He gently pushed her body up against the bedroom door, being careful not to hurt her. He pinned her arms above her head. He felt the heat radiate throughout his body just at the mere sight of being so close to her.

She gasped at the sudden movement. Her body was almost too close to him for her comfort level. She felt the heat rise to her cheeks, her breathing becoming heavier.

He looked into her chocolate brown eyes, trying to compose himself. They stared at each other for a moment, before he decided to speak. "You can't just leave me," he whispered.

"Please, Tony," she begged. "Tell me what's wrong."

He released her arms, backing slowly away from her. He missed her touch, but she had a right to know the secrets he was keeping from her. Otherwise, she was going to leave him and he didn't want her too.

"Tony," she pleaded, stepping towards him. "Tell me. What else happened? Where have you been?" The millions of questions raced through her mind.

He sighed, before starring straight at her. "All I can do is show you."

* * *

_I hope you enjoyed the chapter. The next chapter will show where Tony was those three days and Ziva will find out about the rest of the accident. How do you think she will react when she finds out Tony was the one who saved her? In case you forgot, he never got that far in telling her the story about her accident. Leave a comment on what you think will happen next. Thanks for the constant reviews and followers! You guys make this story worth the while._


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